lafayette, a slowdown. crash at st. stevens is on the shoulder. we should see improvement there. >> that's what's happening on "today in the bay". >> midday show at 11:00. have a great morning. breaking news. banned alabama lawmakers pass the most restrictive abortion bill in the nation, effectively prohibiting the procedure. no exceptions for rape and incest doctors facing up to 99 years behind bars. is this headed straight to the supreme court? we're live with the very lates tourist tragedy. the death toll rises overnight in that midair collision between sightseeing planes in alaska the bodies of six victims now recovered. federal investigators set to interview survivors today. breaking overnight, leave now. the state department ordering americans out of iraq. non-essential government employees told to leave the embassy as tensions with iran

escalate the latest in a live report just ahead. all that, plus lithuania line one those annoying robocalls from all over the world the new way to fight back this morning, a "today" exclusive one in a million new tributes overnight to comedy legend tim conway. fans and co-stars celebrating a life filled with laughter. and the thrill of victory. and the agony of defeat. drama unfolding at the nba draft lottery. the pelicans winning the right to take college basketball's biggest star in decades. today, wednesday, may 15th, 2019 >> announcer: from nbc news this

is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody. good morning welcome to "today. nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. a huge breaking news story out of alabama this morning. >> a new battle over abortion that could have nationwide implications. >> alabama last night, lawmakers voting to ban abortion in nearly every case statewide supporters of the bill say they are hoping to force a supreme court challenge to roe v. wade we have got in-depth coverage. we start with kerry sanders is at the statehouse for us good morning. >> reporter: good morning. alabama governor kay ivey has not said publicly if she will sign alabama's abortion bill into law if she does it's expected to spark a fierce legal debate, a challenge to the 1973 decision roe v. wade that gave women the constitutional right to end a

pregnancy. after weeks of divisive debate -- >> this is going to be unconstitutional. >> so life is the question. >> reporter: senators in the alabama state legislature voted 25-6 to make abortion at any state of pregnancy a felony. >> house bill 314 passes. >> reporter: the crime punishable with up t 99 years in prison for the abortion providers the only exception is when a pregnancy represents a serious health risk to the mother. last night an amendment was dropped that would have made exemptions for cases of rape and incest the bill's sponsor admits her goal was not to stop all abortions, but to force the supreme court to reconsider roe v. wade's defining question. >> is the baby in the womb a person we believe technology and science shows that it is. >> no justice! >> no peace! >> reporter: protesters gathered outside the statehouse among their complaints, this law will directly impact women, yet 85% of lawmakers in alabama are

men. >> if roe v. wade is overturned, you will about go back to the days where women are having abortions in back alleys. >> reporter: the 1973 decision ruled women have the fundamental right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. but even early in his candidacy president trump said he wanted roe v. wade overturned. >> that will happen automatically in my opinion because i am putting pro-life justices on the court. >> reporter: he's already appointed two conservative justices that some believe tips the balance of power on the high court. alabama is not the only state pushing for a federal legal challenge to roe 29 states have introduced abortion restrictions so far this year. last week the governor of georgia signed the state's so-called fetal heartbeat bill becoming one of four states outlawing abortion at the first sign of a heartbeat. the bill's sponsors here say that they have designed this specifically to challenge roe v.

wade at the supreme court. the bill here, unlike georgia's, says that life begins when a woman discovers she is pregnant, which can be a week or months after conception, while in georgia they are already feeling the backlash it has become the largest location for movie production in the world. hollywood of the south already actors and actresses are boycotting production there. >> all right kerry sanders at the statehouse for us we want to turn to our justice correspondent pete williams who also covers the supreme court and has for years. this is a much more aggressive legal posture. opponents of abortion in this bill is saying we want to go right to the supreme court and we want that central question presented is there a constitutional right to abortion? that's a departure >> very much so. for the past few decades abortion opponents have been incremental as their goal was to make abortion harder to get by passing laws that required doctors to have admitting

privileges at nearby hospitals, which the hospitals would often refuse to grant. three years ago the supreme court struck down a texas law like that finding it medically unnecessary. but now with justice kennedy gone who had voted to uphold roe, the goal is to challeng it head on these laws passed in this new wave are obviously unconstitutional under existing supreme court precedent, which says the states can't pass a law that would be an undue burden to a woman's right to choose, and the sponsors of these laws are well aware of that. >> so, pete, if this thing does reach the high court, what are the chances that roe v. wade gets overturned this time? >> reporter: it would take five votes to do that there are probably three votes on the court now for that, clarence thomas, samuel alito and perhaps neil gorsuch even if the other trump nominee, brett kavanaugh, were to join them, they would still need the chief justice john roberts he has often shown an aversion to sudden changes in the law obviously the court's four liberals are worried about this. on monday they joined a dissent

written by stephen breyer in a totally unrelated case it had nothing to do with aborti abortion he said the court seemed too willing to overturn long standing precedents without a compelling reason. he says precedent gives stability to the law and deserves respect and he mentioned the ruling that upheld the abortion write. breyer wondered which cases the court will overturn next. greg, savannah >> pete, thank you. another major story breaking overnight. the state department ordering all non-emergency employees to get out of iraq. that comes amid escalating tension with iran. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle with the latest on that good morning. >> reporter: this story continues to grow this morning the state department making that order, saying all u.s. government employees, non-emergency personnel, have to leave the u.s. embassy in baghdad and the consulate as these tensions with iran continue to grow

u.s. officials tell nbc news the pentagon has drawn up contingency plans that include sending up to 120,000 u.s. troops to the middle east if iran attacks american forces or accelerates work on its nuclear program. it's one of several options, the officials said, and no steps have been taken to implement it. the story was first reported by "the new york times" yesterday president trump dismissed it. >> fake news, okay now, would i do that absolutely but we have not planned for that hopefully, we are not going to have to plan for that. if we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that. >> reporter: a short time after that iran's supreme leader seemed to respond in kind saying we don't seek a war with the united states. but risks remain the u.s. accelerated the deployment of an aircraft strike group this month t counter what u.s. officials

described as threats from iran or its proxies against u.s. forces this weekend there was a mysterious apparent attack on four tankers in the persian gulf two owned by iran's enemy, saudi arabia iran denies responsibility and then overnight centcom announced thousands of u.s. troops in iraq and syria have been put on high alert because of what it called credible threats from iran or their allies in syria where some 2,000 u.s. troops helped defeat isis, iran has military advisers and th support of hezbollah, a hardened militia. in iraq u.s. troops may be even more exposed iranian backed militias are widespread, including within the iraqi security forces. where did all this start iranian and even some u.s. officials say israel, the uae, saudi arabia and american hard-liners, chief among them national security advisor john

bolton, are trying to provoke a conflict with iran. >> richard, it seems like we have seen this story before. president trump escalating tensions with north korea and china only to dial back and push for talks.at might be part of the strategy this time around as well? >> i have spoken to many current and former u.s. officials who believe that is what we are seeing here, that this administration wants to deliberately dial up pressure in order to force iran to come to the negotiating table, which is exactly what we saw with north korea and maybe also with china. but they warn this is the middle east. it is a dangerous place. there is a risk of an accidental war, that iran has tremendous amount of capabilities that it could use. we talked about some of them there, the different militias at its disposal in the middle east, and this could be the key difference. there are several people around president trump who actually want a conflict to happen. >> our chief foreign correspondent richard engle there, thank you. this morning the death toll

has risen to six in that midair collision between two sightseeing planes in alaska. a team from the ntsb is now at the scene beginning an investigation. nbc's molly hunter is in alaska for us with the latest. hi, molly, good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah, good morning to you. what should have been a trip of a lifetime turned tragic for two groups from a royal princess cruise line on aerial tours off the coast of alaska when their sea planes collided. also overnight the bodies of two more victims were recovered and the names of all six victims were released. four americans, one canadian and one australian. this morning we are getting a first look at what's left of the small sightseeing planes that collided midair over an alaska bay near ketchikan. the floatplanes were carrying passengers from the royal princess cruise ship. an ntsb team arriving overnight starting the painstaking investigation into the crash. >> we will want to talk soon

with the surviving pilot of the taquan airplane. we'll want to talk to the passengers, employees of the two air operators. >> reporter: they will interview witnesses, examine the flight logs and maintenance records and take a closer look at the experience of the pilots and the weather at the time of the crash. but they won't have black boxes for clues. >> there were no cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders on either of these planes. >> reporter: the ntsb says preliminary information shows both planes were flying at an altitude around 3,200 feet when they collided. one of the planes, a single-engine otter operated by taquan air filmed here days earlier. taquan air issued a statement saying they've suspended all flights and are devastated by this news. this is as close as we are allowed to get. you see the coast guard right there. against that shoreline are two pontoons still sticking out of the water. divers are searching a massive debris area that measures 1,000

feet by 2,600 feet. the second seaplane broke apart on impact operated by this small family-owned mountain air service which hasn't commented on the crash. remarkably, ten people survived the disaster. the coast guard recovered the body of the pilot who died, identified as randy sullivan. after a brief delay, the cruise ship continuing to the next port of call, but passengers still in shock. >> it's heartbreaking. everybody on the ship feels the same way. >> molly, a lot of people love to go on those cruises. they want to do the excursions. what should you consider if you are going to book a charter flight like this? >> reporter: savannah, experts say do your research ahead of time, be proactive, call the operator, ask if they've had a crash or any incidents recently, and use google. search the name of the operator and the word crash to see what comes up. savannah? >> thank you very much. with americans starting to feel the impact of the escalating trade war with china,

president trump putting his own spin on it, describing the entire situation as a "little squabble." nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander with the latest on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the risks of this u.s./china trade car sticks around for a while and is becoming increasingly real with major banks sounding the alarm about the potential impact on the the potential impact on the economy. some of the president's allies expressing concerns about the political price if a deal isn't reached. president trump now eyeing another round of stiff tariffs 25% on nearly all chinese imports not already targeted more than $300 billion worth of products. >> about the $325 billion, we're looking at it very strongly. >> reporter: still, despite worries and extended conflict could put a significant dent in the economy. the president is shrugging off the escalating trade war. >> we are having a little squabble with china because we

have been treated very unfairly for many, many decades, for actually a long time. >> reporter: president trump expressing confidence when pressed by nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: do you think you are winning the trade war? >> yeah, we're winning it. you want to know something we always win. >> reporter: american consumers could be the biggest losers. a top retail industr a trade group warns if new tariffs take effect americans' entire shopping cart will get more expensive, everything from shoes to shirts, toys to toasters on capitol hill from republicans who have long opposed tariffs, a mostly measured response even praise for the president. >> i don't think anyone wants trade wars but i do think he's taking on a challenge that we've put off for a long time. >> nobody wants a trade war unless there is an agreement at the end after which tariffs go away. >> reporter: that agreement can't come soon enough for farmers like tim bardell of iowa, a trump supporter losing

money on his soybean crops hard hit by china's retaliatory tariffs. >> we need some things fixed with the trade with china. hopefully, this does it. it's taking a lot longer than i hoped. >> reporter: the president has repeatedly pressured companies to move their production out of china to cut down on what the u.s. buys from there one republican senator pushed back saying he understands that sentiment, adding what we do in kansas is we sell to china, not dealing with china is not an option craig and savannah. >> before i let you go, another question donald trump jr. apparently now will go before congress and testify. what's happening there >> reporter: that's right. we learned some new details overnight. donald trump jr., the president's oldest son, has agreed to answer questions from the senate intelligence committee in the middle of june about a handful of topics including that proposed trump tower/moscow project, according to a source close to the president's son. last week we learned that the republican-led committee

subpoenaed trump jr. to bring him back for a new round of questions. we are told that closed-door session will be under oath craig and savannah, back to you. >> peter, thank you very much. how about we talk some basketball now surprises. lots of drama during the nba draft lottery last night i chicago. here's how it all went down. >> the second pick will be made by the memphis grizzlies and that means that the number one pick in the 2019 nba draft goes to the new orleans pelicans >> the new orleans pelicans winning the first pick in next month's draft despite only having a 6% chance of doing so that means they will almost certainly use that pick on former duke star zion williamson, widely considered the top prospect in the draft. take a look now at the reaction from the pelicans with their employees when the announcement was made >> no poker faces here

[ cheers ] >> yeah, they're excited they may have to get a bigger ticket office, too with zion williamson likely coming to town, they're going to be selling a lot of tickets. on the other side of things, check out new york knicks fans when they realized they'd have to settle for the third overall pick [ booing ] more bad news for hard luck knicks fans. probably not going to get zion but still a lot of good players out there with the number three pick they may be in much better shape. >> it's the only day of the year when you are like, please, let us be the worst team in the nba. >> that's true. >> let's go to al in washington this morning good morning >> reporter: good morning. we are looking out west for a system that's going to have a big impact all across the country. you can see we're looking at wet weather stretching from northern california all the way to southern california. it's going to bring heavy rain, gusty winds along the coast, and

then it continues to move east through tomorrow friday with the winter storm warnings in the sierra, rain and snow in the rockies. friday this system is going to be causing severe weather, storm hazards, tornados, hail, damaging winds from texas all the way on up into the upper plains saturday 24 million people at risk for dangerous weather as we move into sunday we have got still from the midwest looking at 8 million people at risk with heavy rain through sunday we're talking anywhere from two to three inches or maybe four to five inches in areas that are already saturated. that could cause some flooding we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. rain is back across the bay area. starting out light. it will get heavier as we go through especially the evening commute into tonight. we are seeing some of the rain now covering much of the peninsula, parts of the east bay, and into the north bay. as we start to see the radar filling in, there will be breaks in the activity going into the afternoon before it gets quite heavy for the evening commute. scattered, heavy downpours along with gusty winds. we'll have a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. in the next half hour, we look at a record that was set around our planet this year, and it's not a good one. back to you. >> mr. roker in washington al, thank you. ahead, the dramatic rise in robocalls this spring. we've also got an exclusiv look at the new tool that could hopefully help our phones stop

ringing. plus, remembering tim conway we are going to celebrate the life of that legendary comic who we all adored. first, this is "today" on nbc. roxana: when i got into teaching, it was this idea of really transforming our schools. marisa: one of my biggest responsibilities as a teacher is to serve as an advocate for my kids. newscaster: hundreds of teachers are hitting the picket lines. newscaster: thousands gathered here. rosanne: we need smaller class sizes. angelia: more counselors and more nurses. roxana: we have to be able to invest in our young people. angelia: every student has a right to quality education. ever: no matter what neighborhood you live in. roxana: our students don't have part-time needs, so they can't have part-time solutions. rodney: because we know quality public schools... roxana: make a better california... marisa: for all of us.

roxana: make a better california... with our famous pastrami and a bigger soft pretzel roll. and try the new turkey bistro with warm turkey and smokehouse bacon. or the new hot club chicken dijon with dijon mayo and black forest ham. how far would you go for a togo?

just ahead, the new investigation exposing the industry's wildlife dark side. making history on the court overnight. how their parents are handling the face-to-face after your local news that's why we redesigned humira. we wanted to make the experience better for you. now there's less pain immediately following injection. we've reduced the size of the needle and removed the citrate buffers. and it has the same effectiveness you know and trust. humira citrate-free is here. a little change can make a big difference.

humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. 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. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. here's to you. " when better chickens are hatched, we will hatch them." it's why all of the tyson chicken that bears his name is raised with no antibiotics ever. every nugget, strip and drumstick. keep it real. keep it tyson. some things yo♪ want to remove, others you don't. like your microbiome, skin's living protective layer. the dove moisturizing formula cleanses without stripping skin's microbiome. dove body wash. microbiome gentle. softer, smoother skin. ♪

oh, pete!?! c'mon man. what? we said pantyhose right? here, eat this... creamy snickers®. you could use a little smoothness. pete? pete zagorin? get smooth with the fresh-ground nut butters in new creamy snickers®. (roosevelt)smoking just messed thaup your lungs. i never thought that at only 45 it would give me a heart attack. my tip is; do your heart a favor, and quit now. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. this ijust listen. (vo) there's so much we want to show her.

we needed a car that would last long enough to see it all. (avo) subaru outback. ninety eight percent are still on the road after 10 years. come on mom, let's go! i )m - -... a live look across the bay from san francisco. a very good morning to you. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia. a live look this morning across the bay from san francisco. cloudy skies suggesting that rain is on its way, which is why we are in the microclimate weather alert this morning. meteorologist kari hall is tracking the conditions. >> we want to give you a heads-up. the evening commute is going to be really affected by the heavier rain moving in. right now it starts out light. we are seeing that on the radar. it starts to spread from the peninsula to the north bay and into parts of the east bay. we expect more activity going into late morning. and then a little bit of a break for early afternoon. by 4:00, we start to see it ramping up with some heavier

rain and gusty winds moving in. by 7:00 to 8:00, right around sunset. a chance of heavy rain along with thunderstorms that we could see during the afternoon. so lots to track as we go through the next 48 hours. it tapers off on friday. another storm system moving in on saturday. it could give us wet weather for a lot of outdoor events for the weekend. we will keep you up to date with that and download the nbc bay area app. now an update on the commute from mike. >> highway 24 recovered from an earlier crash in a series of three events. it is slow from walnut creek to the caldecott tunnel. but pwhabg to what you would expect for right now. south bay, pushing up toward the rest of silicon valley. dumbarton, build from westbound 84. reports of either a goose or

duck in the center divide. a goose on the loose or a sitting duck. ♪ (vo) i know what you're thinking. electric, it's not for you. and, you're probably right.

electric just doesn't have enough range. it will never survive the winter. charging stations? good luck finding one of those. so, maybe an electric car isn't for you after all. or, is it? ♪ listen to your mom, knuckleheads. hand em over. hand what over? video games, whatever you got. let's go. you can watch videos of people playing video games in the morning. is that everything? i can see who's online. i'm gonna sweep the sofa fort. well, look what i found. take control of your wifi with xfinity xfi. let's roll! now that's simple, easy, awesome. xfinity xfi gives you the speed, coverage and control you need. manage your wifi network from anywhere when you download the xfi app today.

. curry can't shoot pull-ups >> curry launch is again curry. seth curry for three, and it goes through the lead is 14. >> we're back at 7:30 with some history in the nba and a unique problem for the parents of steph and seth curry last night was the first time brothers have ever met in an nba conference final ahead, how the curry family is handling that situation. >> i think that's the kind of problem you would like to have as parents of basketball players. that's fun. let's get to the headlines of the morning alabama lawmakers voting overnight to make abortion at

any stage of pregnancy a felony. doctors who perform the procedure could face up to 9 years in prison under this law the only exception would be when a pregnancy represents a, quote, serious health risk to the mother alabama's republican governor kay ivey has not said if she will sign the bill if she does, it's expected to spark a fierce legal battle over roe v. wade. that's the decision that legalized abortion governor ivey has six days to sign the legislation. a texas utility worker is recovering this morning after being trapped in a trench for nearly six hours officials say the man was in the hole doing some work yesterday when the clay that surrounded him suddenly collapsed thankfully, he was able to keep his arms and head above the dirt rescue crews used a pulley system to hoist him to the surface. that man is expected to be okay. fire officials though say he is lucky to be alive. heart stopping moments for a florida highway patrol trooper he was investigating a crash, walking on the shoulder of the busy interstate. you see him there. suddenly a car hydroplanes and

heads for him. the trooper jumped, grabbed the top of the wall as you see just in time as the car smashed into it he suffered a leg injury he otherwise okay. the driver of the car was cited for driving too fast for the weather conditions there. now to a "today" exclusive the ongoing battle against those annoying robocalls. >> oh and they seem to be coming more and more, don't they? new warnings that scammers are taking this game to a whole new level, but there could be relief coming soon nbc's tom costello has details you have my attention for sure. >> are you sick of this? >> yes. >> it's unbelievable, isn't it it's like every day my phone is ringing off the hook with robocalls. if you think you are getting more of those annoying robocalls, you're right. the number of robocalls is skyrocketing and the fcc has been pushing phone service providers, the big names, to improve how to authenticate caller i.d. information. now they are proposing news ways for phone companies to crack

down on those unwanted calls it's the sound everyone loves to hate. >> i ignore it >> i have been getting tons recently. >> i don't have ever pick up because i know it's going to be a robocall. >> reporter: and that barrage of robocalls is getting worse according to one estimate, 163 million robocalls every day in america. over the last four years the number of robocalls tripling up from 1.6 billion in april 2015 to nearly 5 billion this april. and now the calls are coming from all across the globe. >> there is some that are in other languages. >> reporter: a 222 country cod from marijuana taken ya. 421 from slovakia. listen to this soon there could be an answer for those unwanted calls the fcc will announce today it is proposing a new regulatory rule that will authorize and require phone carriers to automatically opt in all of their customers to robocall blocking technology.

right now you have to manually sign up. if the new rules are approved, carriers will detect, analyze, and block those calls even before they reach your phone. >> allowing these phone companies to block robocalls by default will stem the tide which has been overwhelming to consumers and led consumers to stop answering their phones. >> reporter: phone companies could send them straight to voicemail, send you a text or block them all together. the new fcc proposal comes as robocalls are getting more sophisticated. >> welcome to our customer communications management platform >> reporter: the latest money grab known as the one-ring scam. you get a call, often while you are asleep, that hangs up right away the number may call multiple times. >> i thought, oh my goodness, it's a family emergency. >> reporter: when you dial it back it connects you to a costly 900 number and you are stuck with the charges other scammers can mask their numbers using your own local area code hoping you will be likely to pick up. with a new wave of robocalls the

fcc says there is no silver bullet for stopping all of them, but if the proposals are approved customers could notice fewer calls later this summer. >> tom, if you are just overwhelmed by robocalls, asking for a friend, what can you do to try to make this stop? >> first of all, they say to sign up for the do not call registry a lot of people say how much good is that doing but you should still do it hopefully, that will help. also, you should try to -- you should -- strike that. do not call back any numbers that you don't recognize because it could be a trap and be sure to check your phone service bill regularly for suspicious charges and remember, legitimate organizations don't call asking for personal account information. >> i am on that do-not-call list and i have gotten the calls. is it not working? >> i have to say a lot of people just don't get this. i asked the fcc this question and what is the problem? you sign up and it doesn't seem to work. for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to work now they are taking it to the

next level. >> maybe it's a secretly a go ahead and call list. seems like that. tom, thank you. let's get back to washington, d.c. mr. roker is standing by there this morning hey, al. >> good morning. and that record we were talking about earlier in the hour, it's unfortunately for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. they have been checking and keeping records and looking at core samples and they know that for the last 800,000 years our carbon dioxide levels stayed pretty stable to 300 parts per million. on saturday we hit a record of 415 parts per million of carbon dioxide. that's the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere at this rate we will see probably over 500 parts per million before we reach -- and once that happens that means our atmosphere will warm up 2 1/2 degrees in the next 30 years we have to watch that closely. more mountain snow out west. severe storms in the northern plains

milder weather in the northeast coming back today with sunshine finally. strong storms in the mid-plains. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we do have some light rain returning to the bay area this morning as you get ready to head out the door. we will see more of that starting to pick up in intensity later on this afternoon. this could have a big impact on your evening commute. heavy rain and gusty winds moving through. and then it does taper off later on tonight. by tomorrow, another storm system comes in. it could bring in a potential of thunderstorms. we'll be watching out for that. and then more rain in your weekend forecast. >> and that is your latest weather. guys. >> all right mr. roker, we will come back to you a in a bit. still ahead this morning, inside the booming busines of wildlife tourism for an eye-opening look at how those photo-friendly animals are

really being treated. also ahead maria shriver on the challenges affecting women's health we are going to clear up some myths around menopause. and how steph and seth curry's parents are handling their historic sibling rivalry in the nba playoffs. tim conway, fans, friends, admirers and co-stars tributes pouring in right after this. ba. which means a heart attack or stroke. could strike without warning, pulling me away from everything that matters most. (siren) because with high bad cholesterol, my risk of a heart attack or stroke is real. ♪ repatha® plus a statin seriously lowers bad cholesterol by 63%. and significantly drops my risk of having a heart attack or stroke. do not take repatha® if you are allergic to it. repatha® can cause serious allergic reactions. signs include: trouble breathing or swallowing, or swelling of the face. most common side effects include runny nose, sore throat, common cold symptoms, flu or flu-like symptoms back pain, high blood sugar, and redness, pain,

or bruising at the injection site. i won't let a heart attack or stroke come between me and everything i love. neither should you. tell your doctor to lower your ldl and reduce your risk with repatha®. pay no more than $5 per month with the repatha® copay card. and reduce your risk with repatha®. istry eucerin advanced repairing ecream. for 48hour dry skin relief... goes beyond ceramides with moisturizing factors naturally found in skin... eucerin advanced repair cream for healthier looking skin. (cheers, applause) we hide hotel names. so you can score 4 star hotels at 2 star prices. (cheers, applause) ♪h-o-t-w-i-r-e hotwire.com♪ (chicken cackles)

♪h-o-t-w-i-r-e hotwire.com♪ ♪ i want it all ♪ ♪ 'cause there's nothing like this feeling, baby ♪ now that i've found you ♪ ♪ now that i've found you ♪ ♪ the house, kids, they're living the dream ♪ ♪ and here comes the wacky new maid ♪ -maid? uh, i'm not the... -♪ is she an alien, is she a spy? ♪ ♪ she's always here, someone tell us why ♪ -♪ why, oh, why -♪ she's not the maid we wanted ♪ -because i'm not the maid! -♪ but she's the maid we got -again, i'm not the maid. i protect your home and auto. -hey, campbells. who's your new maid?

i protect your home and auto. whatever your dog serestbrings home to you,. it shouldn't be fleas and ticks. seresto gives your dog 8 continuous months of flea and tick protection in an easy-to-use, non-greasy collar. 8-month. seresto, seresto, seresto. minimums and fees seem to your typical bank.n of capital one is anything but typical. that's why we designed savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? plaque psoriasis get clearer. and stay clearer. most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan to or have recently received a vaccine. tremfya®. stay clearer. janssen can help you explore cost support options.

isn't she beautiful yes let's go. with quality ingredients, nutella is sure to bring a smile to breakfast time. show your appreciation with a limited edition nutella jar! we're back at 7:42 the tributes pouring in to a comedy legend. the world mourning the loss of award winning comedian tim conway the 85-year-old often played supporting roles but his star quality always shined through. natalie morales with a look back at conway's incredible legacy of laughter >> all i could do is just blow

and go - >> reporter: it was nearly impossible not to laugh at tim conway his unparalleled improv skills and perfect comedic timing stole scenes, leaving fans in stitches. >> want to see quarter to three? >> reporter: his co-stars often finding it impossible to stay in character and keep a straight face conway shot to stardom earning multiple emmys on "the carol burnett show" with memorable characters like mr. tudball. >> don't press that button when i'm talking, mrs. wiggins. >> hello >> reporter: and the oldest man. and while he aimed to entertain the audience, he also was determined to break his co-stars with his unpredictability. >> take a firm hold of the hypodermic needle. right. >> he had no idea i was going to immobilize myself with novocaine. when i punched my hand, head, leg, it went completely -- he

actually wet his pants. >> reporter: carol burnett saying in a statement, i'm heartbroken. he was one in a million. not only as a brilliant comedian, but a loving human being. on one of his many appearances on "today," conway said his dyslexia led him to comedy at an early age. >> whenever i got up to read in class everybody laughed at me. so i thought it was funny to keep it going. >> i am anson parker. >> reporter: he went on to first make a name for himself as the bumbling ensign charles parker on "mchale's navy. >> there she goes. >> reporter: after burnett, he brought the character of dorf to life >> it started out as a joke. now it's a bigger joke than me i am going to have to cut off my legs probably to continue with this thing >> reporter: later his guest appearances introduced him to a new generation. >> things are going to get weird. >> reporter: his role on "30 rock" earning him an emmy.

>> next time danger threatens, don't expect any help from us. >> reporter: lending his voice to barnacle boy on "spongebob squarepants. this morning those who loved him are very glad they had this time together. >> what a funny, great comedian and person i am very lucky i got to know him. i tell him i love him. one of the funniest guys ever. >> reporter: for "today," natalie morales, nbc news. >> so many of us really just admired him and loved him. al, i know you are at the top of that list. >> reporter: absolutely. i mean, saturday nights in our house we were in front of that tv for carol burnett you would wait for tim conway's sketches because you knew he was going to really bring everybody out, break them up it is such a sad day but one great one that people are going to the internet, they are looking at his work, and realizing what a comedy genius he is. >> he really was carol burnett dedicated her one-woman show to him last night.

so it's fitting. thank you, al. we'll see you in a little bit. coming up next, a basketball and sibling rivalry. the history being made by the curry brothers last night. their parents had an interesting way to handle who to cheer for and whose jersey to wear first, these messages. ♪ ♪ how ya like that? ♪ how ya like that? ♪ how ya like that? ♪ what you think of me now? thank you so much. (battery charging.) ♪ how ya like that? ♪ what you think of me now? ♪ how ya like that? ♪ what you think of me now? who used expedia to book the hotel which led to the discovery that sometimes a little down time can lift you right up. expedia. everything you need to go. ...there's eucrisa.

it's a prescription ointment for ages 2 and up... ...that's steroid-free. it works both at and below the skin's surface... ...blocking overactive pde4 enzymes within your skin. do not use if you are allergic to eucrisa or its ingredients. allergic reactions may occur at or near the application site. the most common side effect is application site pain. wanna save on eucrisa? eligible patients may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask you doctor about steroid-free eucrisa. ♪ ♪ right now, when you buy a red nose at walgreens, you can help a child live a healthier life. walgreens. trusted since 1901.

let's go. with quality ingredients, nutella is sure to bring a smile to breakfast time. show your appreciation with a limited edition nutella jar! believers can't be broken. because we're the beginning of every dream. we're the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. because we out-dream imagination. out-work determination. out-last procrastination. until we are the last ones standing

because...we are believers. are you? ♪

[ applause ] dylan joins us and we've been talking about this historic night in the nba. >> for the first time two brothers, steph an seth curry facing off against each other the winner of the series earning not only a trip to the finals, but also family bragging rights. >> the first brother combination ever to face each other in a conference final. >> overnight in oakland, a next-level sibling rivalry taking place during the nba western conference finals. >> curry launches again! >> 31-year-old superstar steph curry and his golden state warriors. >> curry for three >> taking on younger brother seth curry, a 28-year-old guard for the portland trail blazers it's a matchup years in the making the curry boys growing up playing basketball, first in the family's driveway, then on the hardwood. >> it's all we used to do growing up got pretty heated at times like it does with brothers. he always accused me of

cheating. >> stefan. >> seth. >> reporter: basketball is in their dna. the brothers getting their passion from the game from their dad, former nba star dell curry and support from their mom sonya who has been cheering for both of them for years. >> they are guarding each other. don't you secretly hope there's a little bit of a tussle >> reporter: for their parents, a tough decision who to root for. >> there they are. they flip a coin on who should wear the golden state warriors and who is going to wear the portland jersey. >> reporter: sonya talking about their sibling rivalry last year. >> it takes me back. and then i root for seth because i'm like, get him. i want you to get your older brother because i remember all the times stefan used to set him up >> reporter: steph curry is one of the sport's biggest stars with three nba championships and two mvp titles steph telling me in april his drive comes, in part, from those who doubted him in the past. >> i have had a lot of crazy

accolades and championships and all that type of stuff what's going to drive me to get to that point is that people said i wasn't supposed to be on this level. >> reporter: seth's road to the finals has been a different journey. he's been with five different teams before landing a spot in portland and seen by many as the underdog, playing in his brother's shadow after years of supporting big bro from the stands, he is looking forward to face him on the court. >> time for us to obviously, our family is going to have fun as well. >> steph's warriors won game one last night, by the way. >> it's the best of seven series so seth could come back. >> the currys, they wore customized hybrid jerseys cut up and re-sewn to include half of each son's jerseys. >> i feel like you have to that's parenting right there >> you were saying you would like to see junior >> i did say i like to root for the little siblings. i'm the youngest we know steph has had so much success. i would like to see seth, yeah.

>> yes. a new investigation coming up exposing the dark side of wildlife sanctuaries coming up allergies with sinus congestion and pressure? you won't find relief here. go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritin-d. while the leading allergy spray only relieves 6 symptoms, claritin-d relieves 8, including sinus congestion and pressure. claritin-d relieves more. starts with looking buiat something old,nk and saying, "really?" so we built capital one cafes, with savings and checking accounts you can open from here in 5 minutes. this is banking reimagined.

what's in your wallet? hey google, how far away is the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles from earth. far hey mom....mom hi. ♪ oh, your cute. oh. you guys hungry? (dinosaurs screeching) ♪ so, after comparing the ingredients of a lot of puppies foods, i chose blue buffalo. it was simple. blue is made with high quality ingredients, so ernie grows up strong. after all he's family. so i'm gonna feed him like family with blue. ♪ ♪ the things that matter most happen one morning and one cup at a time.

so, i started with the stats regarding my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. like how humira has been prescribed to over 300,000 patients. and how many patients saw clear or almost clear skin in just 4 months - the kind of clearance that can last. humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to symptoms. numbers are great. and seeing clearer skin is pretty awesome, too. that's what i call a body of proof. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. 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 dermatologist about humira. this is my body of proof.

we are in a microclimate weather alert. the rain starts out light and then into the bay area. as you head out for your morning drive, we will see rain off and on throughout the day and gusty winds, especially this evening. there will be a break going from late morning into early afternoon. but then the heavy rain arrives in time for the evening commute. and we'll also see this picking up between 6:00 to 7:00 and then tapering off around midnight. a secondary surge of some moisture and potential of thunderstorms going into tomorrow, epilate morning, into the afternoon. anywhere in the bay area. we will still see unsettled weather going throughout the next couple of days before it tapers off friday morning. we'll have a little bit of a break and then the next rain

moves in saturday afternoon into sunday. we'll be tracking that for you. an update on the commute now from mike. we're looking at this rain on the san mateo bridge. westbound slow because of the commute, volume, and the rain building in volume as well. the san mateo side, we talked about a goose in the center divide. now there is a crash 101 at 92. more congestion. wet roads around the bay. build for the south bay, silicone pushing north and west, and also over to the bay bridge slow all approaches into the area. there's the bay bridge. back to you. >> thanks so much. happening now, bart's push into the tri-valley may finally be becoming into focus. a new plan in play would provide access for people as far away to stockton. playoff fever certainly heating up for the san jose sharks. for dedicated fans really want to show their life long devotion, a limited number of fans can receive free sharks

tattoos. i tweeted out the information which you can link on the twitter feed. i will put it on facebook. follow me. laura garcia nbc. the may storm ! we )re tracking a second spring storm set to slam the bay area tomorrow. our team will be monitoring any issues that arise overnight. plus---a north bay school name debate heats up! the meeting where you can weigh in on the controversial dixie school district. join us tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

[ pleasant orchestral music ] [ commentatora 1-iron from the 17th tee. [ club thwacking ] it's coming right at the flag stick. [ crowd cheering ] what a shot! [ pleasant orchestral music ] jack nicklaus has now won his third united states open.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, breaking overnight, lawmakers in alabama passed the most restrictive abortion bill in the nation. >> house bill 314 passes. >> effectively banning the procedure in almost every case critics say it goes too far as supporters look for a supreme court showdown we're live with the latest. plus, too close for comfort. a new investigative report looks at the dark side of wildlife tourism. >> this kind of place animals are in conditions that no living being should be living in. >> how animals from all over the world may be suffering for the sake of tourists and remembering luke perry

his former 90210 castmates speaking out about their friend who passed away earlier this year. >> he's been with us every step of the way. >> today, wednesday, may 15th, 2019 ♪ >> we made it on the "today show." >> mom and daughter, lifelong "today" fans. >> from southern california, just graduated college whoo >> we're from colorado. >> good morning from miami, florida. today is my birthday >> turning 7 >> and 70! >> on the plaza, whoo! party on welcome back to "today." nice to have you with us this wednesday morning and i'm happy to say the sun is shining. >> we've got a busy hour ahead, also looking forward to tomorrow and the grand opening of the

"today" cafe there it is. a little taste of studio 1a resort al roker is going to be down there live to show us around tomorrow. >> i think he's got a signature dish on the menu it's going to be a lot of fun tomorrow. breaking news, lawmakers in alabama voting overnight to ban nearly all abortions in their state. the bill is also designed to ultimately force a showdown over abortion in the united states supreme court. kerry sanders joins us from montgomery he's at the state house. the next step, alabama's governor to her desk and whether or not she'll sign we still don't know, right, kerry? >> reporter: we don't know, but the expectation is that the governor here will get the bill and sign it possibly within the next six days. the bill that was passed here last night goes to her desk for a signature. the alabama bill would criminalize abortion calling for a sentence of up to 99 years for

any doctor who performs an abortion in the state. pro abortion advocates fear this law will lead to the loss of the constitutional right for a woman to choose to end a pregnancy all expectations are, what happened here in alabama overnight will wind up before the u.s. supreme court, a court pro abortion advocates believe has been stacked with conservative justices by president trump specifically to overturn roe v. wade, one of the biggest complaints among those who gathered here in montgomery last night was this bill was passed by a legislature that's 85% male while abortion rights directly impacts women unlike other states that have recently passed abortion bills here in alabama, there is no exception for a rape or incest savannah. >> kerry sanders, thank you. the state department is ordering all nonemergency employees to leave iraq including the u.s. embassy in baghdad. officials say they are concerned

about threats from iranian-backed militias. in addition, the u.s. military says its aware of imminent threats from iran to american forces in iraq president trump has denied reports that the pentagon has contingency plans to send up to 120,000 troops to the region if iran attacks american forces or steps up work on its nuclear program. a newly surfaced recording reportedly reveals how airline pilots pressed boeing employees for answering after the lion air jet crash last october according to "the dallas morning news," the morning airlines pilots' union wanted to know more about problems with boeing 737 max jetliners. the paper says it is a reporting of a tense meeting where pilots demanded answers about the plane's safety and a week later a 737 max crashed in ethiopia. they've filed to get government records about the plane's approval process at the faa. the number of babies born in the united states is down for

the fourth year in a row government figures show about 3.8 million births last year that's the fewest babies born in 32 years the declines were seen across racial groups and the number has surprised some experts who thought the improving economy would lead to a baby rebound overall the birth rate for women under the age of 44 reached an all-time low. all right, you got the news at 8:05. time for a boost look at this, a little boy having a tough time trying to break a board in karate class. he kicks it the first time doesn't work but he's a trooper, gets back up again and is trying again and again. his classmates see he's getting frustrated so they start cheering him on. >> keegan! keegan keegan >> yeah! >> you get by with a little help from your friends. it made all the difference they do a dog pile there

the kids are mobbing him because of course it was a team effort. >> i like that. >> lots more to get to this morning including the cast of 90210 reflecting on luke perry, their co-star who recently passed away. first, an eye opening look at the hidden cost of wildlife conditions. >> animals are living in conditions that they shouldn't be living in. >> that's after these messages stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection or flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. talk to your doctor today,

and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. remission can start with stelara®. can your hair survive damage? dove conditioner proves it can. we treat one brush with dove conditioner and expose both to damaging conditions. the difference is clear. dove intensive repair conditioner. for smooth, touchably beautiful hair. dove intensive repair conditioner. ♪ ♪ the things that matter most happen one morning and one cup at a time. most people know me as a critically acclaimed actor with rhythmic pecs. but i'm also a talented flautist. ( ♪ ) it's just like most people know state farm for home and auto insurance, but we've also won five j.d. power awards in a row for life insurance. it feels good to be known for more than one thing! (drumming) quiet pecs, this isn't about you. no, no let them speak. (drumming)

life insurance you didn't expect from the company you know you can trust. state farm. from the company you know you can trust. ♪ sometimes the smallest gestures can be the most refreshing. give extra, get extra with new extra refreshers gum.

♪ i mean he's a wreck without me. advantage ii, fight the misery of biting fleas. ♪ i want it all ♪ ♪ 'cause there's nothing like this feeling, baby ♪ now that i've found you ♪ ♪ now that i've found you ♪ let's go. with quality ingredients, nutella is sure to bring a smile to breakfast time. show your appreciation with a limited edition nutella jar! nueven if you try to eat well,. you might fall short in key nutrients. get more by adding one a day. it's the #1 multivitamin uniquely designed for men and women. one serving, once a day. one a day. and done.

wearing powerful sunscreen? yes! neutrogena® ultra sheer. unbeatable protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer with a clean feel. the best for your skin. ultra sheer®. neutrogena®. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit now. " when better chickens are hatched, we will hatch them." it's why all of the tyson chicken that bears his name is raised with no antibiotics ever. every nugget, strip and drumstick. keep it real. keep it tyson. [zara larsson - "wow"] ♪ ♪ baby i'm not even in a gown ♪ and the only thing u have to say is wow ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪

♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ ♪ and you never felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ we are back now, 8:101 with today's talker this morning the dark side of wildlife tourism. >> fueled in large part by social media, this phenomenon is more popular than ever tourists seeking out animal interactions often because, yes, they want that spectacular selfie but it comes at a cost. miguel almaguer is here with more good morning >> good morning, a team from national geographic worked on this story about a year and also traveled the world documenting the training, confinement and abuse that many animals are suffering for the sake of tourists' entertainment. a word of caution, some of these

images you're going to see may be disturbing. >> she's had a spiked chain around her ankle. >> reporter: behind the scenes hidden away from tour buses and selfie sticks, a crimingrim exie these days so-called wildlife tourism is booming as world travelers check off their personal bucket list by posing with an elephant, a bear or even a tiger. but after hours, a different reality. >> most people just simply are not aware of the abuse that goes into so many of these experiences around the world >> reporter: writer natasha daily and photographer kirsten loose are in the june issue of the magazine. >> animals are in conditions that no living being should be living in. >> we encountered a young elephant underneath the stadium and that elephant had a bloody

wound at his swollen and his eyes wouldn't fix, a very disturbing situation to witness. >> reporter: they spent months in asia documenting the elephant show industry. >> there's 3800 elephants in captivity and the majority work in camps performing for tourists >> it's a spiked chain watch her foot, it's her right foot she was just out posing with tourists and they brought her back to her holding cell and put the spiked chain back around her foot i'm realizing now that this is her chain. >> reporter: national geographic found that even places that advertise as sanctuaries often mistreat the animals. >> many tourists said i would never ride an elephant but i bathed one and that's okay people don't realize that foor that elephant to stand and be bathed has been trained the same way that a performing elephant has. >> reporter: wildlife tourism happens all over the world and

involves all sorts of animals from bears and tigers to monkeys and crocodiles one popular activity even in the united states is holding a lion, jaguar or tiger cub. this zoo in mexico features that attraction we were told that these cubs were separated from their mothers at a young age >> it is striking how close you can get, how much access you can pay for, but what experts say you have to think about is what's happening behind the scenes. >> reporter: the problem, within a few months, those cubs will be too big and powerful to be around tourists, so there's always a demand for more babies. >> so the tigers will be bred and taken immediately from their mothers so they can be handled and get used to being handled by tourists and then the mother could go and have more babies. >> reporter: just one more example researchers say of animal welfare, sacrifice for tourist dollars. the national geographic team that worked on this report says the wildlife facilities are almost always legal and most

owners told them that their animals are well cared for the magazine and the company documentary are online now and the magazine hits newsstands on the 28th of may. >> how can you tell the difference between a place that's actually trying to help maybe one of these animals and the place that's trying to exploit them >> they say you really have to do your research, look into the background of these places, go into the comment sections of many of these places and see what people are saying about them they also tell us that if it's too interactive, if you're able to pet and touch these animals, it's probably dangerous for the animals because many of these predators should be able to roam freely, make their own decisions. if you're able to hug them, ride them, carry them, you're likely in a bad situation. >> they're not in violation of local laws >> they are not. >> eye opening report. it's important miguel, thank you very much. we want to move to al. he's down in d.c let's get a check of the weather. >> let's show you what we have going on a lot of we had weather moving into the west coast, heavier showers and thunderstorms down through florida and we've got some heavy storms pushing their

way through the mid mississippi receiver valley. it's been so cool in the eastern half of the country, temperatures way below average but we're going to start to see a rise chicago 7 3, des moines near 80. cleveland you'll be 71 tomorrow, 73 in milwaukee. new york city right where it should be. this weekend temperatures in the 70s in the northeast, into the 80s and good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're under a microclimate weather alert. as you get ready to head out the door, we have light rain across the bay area but as the storm system moves closer by this afternoon and evening, the rain will pick up and we will start to see heavier downpours. there will be a break going late morning to early afternoon. you see the next batch of rain in time for the evening commute. tomorrow we have a chance of thunderstorms and for the weekend, more rounds of

scattered showers. >> that's the latest weather. ro >> and that's your latest weather. >> look who's joined us at the table. dylan is in for carson with a pop start. >> first up, more from the cast of 90210 yesterday we watched the first preview of the upcoming reboot featuring the original cast and of course notably missing was the late actor luke perry. last night several cast members spoke up about what the loss meant to them. >> luke was a huge part of our 90210 family and personally luke was a very big part of my life all the time so it's -- it's obviously very difficult to do this without him. >> we're still having trouble reconciling that i don't have an answer for you it's difficult he was a good friend of mine. >> he's been with us every step of the way. >> it's clear they are still

grappling with the loss and it will be interesting to see how or if the new series will address perry's death. in other news, this one's hard to believe but yesterday gwyneth paltrow's daughter apple turned 15 years old. she shared a sweet photo of the birthday girl but you may recall apple doesn't like it when her mom shares photos of her without her approval back in march paltrow shared this picture of her and her daughter on a ski trip to which apple commented, mom, we have discussed this, you may not post anything without my consent. well, it appears paltrow learned her lesson as she shared the conversation she and apple had before the birthday post she wrote, here are some optioned of apple approved birthday pictures. happy belated birthday. >> now apple is probably mad like, mom, you put our text. >> exactly you can't win with teens. >> you can't mess with a 15-year-old. finally, bill hader, the former "saturday night live"

cast member, had some memorable sketches one of he is favorites being his imitation of "dateline's" keith morrison here's a look back. >> we suspected a local drifter named diego pops. >> kay pa sa, tell me what happened >> what can i say? i like to kill. >> kill like a comedian at the apollo >> no, like murder >> ahh >> last night on seth meyers' show hader talked about keith and revealed he had finally met the "dateline" correspondent take a look. >> you used to play keith morrison. >> keith morrison, the "dateline" guy who's one of my personal heros he makes me laugh. i don't know if you know him he likes to tell terrible true crime stories in a very sing-song kind of way. oh, well so -- >> so you met him? >> i met him today. >> you finally met him

>> it was like the beatles, i was like aaahh i was freaking out. >> does he like the impression >> i hope so >> fun fact, the meeting was set up by our very own willie geist. willie was interviewing hader for sunday today and had keith fly in from l.a. to surprise the actor. >> wow. >> you can catch that interview when it airs june 2. >> willie is just like worldwide, you know. >> willie, mr. worldwide, connector of all. >> he is he's become a celebrity really. >> he sure has and he tries to pretend he's not but he is >> he is for sure. >> dylan dreyer, thank you to our special series on women health on "today" and "today".com. >> maria shriver is back and this time you're focusing on a topic that's misunderstood even doctors don't always recognize the signs and symptoms of menopause. >> that's true in the united states more than a

million women become menopausal every year nearly all women will go through it at some point but it's rarely discussed and women go through it in very different ways. today we're here to try to change some of that. we've gathered a group of experts on the hush-hush topic to clear up some of the common misconceptions and tell you what you need to know about menopa e menopause. >> reporter: nina didn't mean to make menopause her mission it happened accidentally and quite literally overnight. >> i was in my early 40s and the first thing that i experienced was what i've come to know now is disrupted sleep, wide awake at 2:00 a.m. and feeling anxious. i went to my primary care doctor and ob/gyn they said are you getting regular periods and i said yes they nesaid, you're too young, this is not hormonal. >> reporter: after further research she eventually learned that she was in fact in the

early stages of perimenopause. it's during this time when women's hormones can begin to change and it can happen up to seven years before menopause >> i thought this is something that's going to happen in my 50s or 60s i was like 42, 43. >> reporter: finding resources and information on the topic tough to come by, she and a friend created a website called women living better. >> it's really about just creating awareness. >> and you want women to know that perimenopause can start in your 40s it starts while you're having your period and that it's not just your body that's changing, it's your mood, it's your brain, your mind, your whole life. >> all of it they have no idea it's coming. we're not educated that it's normal and it's going to happen to most women but when you dig into this you realize that women's health, aside from contraception and gynecology basically, it's new in 1990. so that's crazy but real >> did you find that when you went to the doctors and the women that you've spoken to

which is thousands and thousands, they were told, relax, rest, it's your job. >> i think doctors want to help. i just don't think a lot of doctors don't know that it's hormonally related so they're treating the symptoms, like, you're having trouble , here's for sleep or anxiety. >> reporter: symptoms vary but can include night sweats, hot flashes, disrupted sleep, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, depression and weight gain once you enter menopause, risk factors for heart disease like blood pressure and cholesterol can increase due to hormone changes. these changes surprisingly can begin in your early 40s, but the average age for menopause for women in the u.s. is 51. life-style, diet and exercise have been shown to ease some people's symptoms but others turn to hormone therapy for relief dr. cassandra is the director of the women's hormone and

menopause program at cedar's sinai. >> there's all this debate hormones are going to give me cancer or they're a protector against alzheimer's or other diseases and women are confused. >> i know. >> about hormones. do i take them, do i not what is a woman to do? >> if a woman is healthy at the time of menopause and having bothersome symptoms, we feel that hormone therapy is appropriate but it's an individualized choice and decision that you make with your provider. >> reporter: dr. sarah got freed is a leading expert on hormones. >> there's a problem in mainstream medicine for the pendulum swings for and against hormones we need to find the middle path, the middle ground. we want to figure out how to support you best >> do you find that there's a lot of shame in this space >> this is a topic like so many other women's -- periods and m tampo tampons, no one talks about it but there's so much to be gained by talking about it. i feel better when i talk about stuff and knowing it's normal, i

think that will help a lot >> i'm so glad that you are taking this on because there is this stigma about menopause and there shouldn't be if you are in your mid 40s and thinking, i have some symptoms, what do i do you don't want to face it. what's your advice >> first it's to find a doctor certified by the northern american menopause society check their website to find a doctor in your area. you can find a lot more out on today.com and this is really important for men to go on this website. a lot of men have gone on this website to get information so they understand what's going on in a woman's life. i told craig who got on his phone while this piece was going on and i said pay attention. >> and i did and i will tell you i just learned more about menopause in the last three minutes than i did in the previous 39 years. >> there you go. >> totally woke.

>> you'll be learning a lot more, i'm sure, as your life evolves. >> thank you >> thank you, mara over to dylan. >> hey guys, look who i found, olivia wilde and we love a dress with pockegood morning, it )s 8. i )m ... the golden gate bridge - looking good morning to you. it's 8:26. i'm marcus washington. the golden gate bridge looking a little less spectacular. skies showing unusually gloomy day for may. we are in a microclimate weather alert. the rain is arriving and kari hall is tracking conditions for us this morning. >> we are starting out with clouds, light rain. live look in dublin as a wet commute. we will start out with light rain and that will get heavier as we head into the afternoon of the pretty much all of the bay area covered with at least light showers and there will be breaks

going into late morning and early afternoon with the heavier rain moving on in tonight. we will even have a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so will be tracking that. let's get an update on the commute for mike. >> we start with tragic news, a deadly crash on the caltrans track. there will be aid south of dear addone and we're ex-attracting that. freeway south shows the build the last half hour, north and west is the push. a standard flow pattern is recovering a bit through oakland 880. they will continue to show the build and will reflect the speeds. slow down, please.

♪

♪ ♪ wow. we are back and quite mesmerized of the talented cast of cirque du soleil's latest show. we're going to have more from these incredible performers in just a moment. >> jen and i feel like we're at home with the cactus. >> we have to take a selfie with the cactus. >> also ahead, olivia wilde is here she has directed a new movie called "book smart." it's getting rave reviews so we'll talk about that and more she also had an interesting casting decision.

>> i like that tease. plus, we're fast approaching beach season and that means beach reads. we'll tell you what you should be throwing in your tote bag this summer. >> and laura dern stops by to tell us about her new movie based on a true story and the new season of "big little lies". >> how about a little crowd moment. >> let's do it. >> i'm looking for theresa from tucson. >> yes. >> look at that, another cactus. >> i know, today's the day for cactus hi, guys >> what brings you to the city >> just to see it, tourism i'm from where there's no big, tall buildings, just the grand canyon. >> who are you >> my name is patty. >> also from tucson? >> yes. >> you've got something in common with someone here where did you go to college? >> u of a. >> panther pride right here. we wanted to make you feel a little more at home so come on over here.

i love it. tucson, u of a in the house this morning. >> go panthers. >> we didn't even plan this, did we >> i feel so at home with you guys. >> we've never had this many cactus on the plaza. >> don't hug the cactus. >> i'll know how to dress next time. >> thank you for coming. now down to al to get another check of the weather >> wow, i guess i overdo the cbd oil last night it looks like cactus out there anyway, let's show you what's going on today we are looking at a lot of wet weather out west, mountain snows, severe storms in the northern plains, strong storms in the mississippi river valley. plenty of sunshine and milder weather in the mid-atlantic and northeast. for tomorrow, a gorgeous day through the southeastern atlantic states, strong storms in the upper mississippi river valley a lot of wet weather out west into the western plains.

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. rain is back as you get ready to head out the door, and we are seeing some of the heavier rain now moving into parts of solano and contra costa county and we will see it coming in waves. there will be breaks for parts of the peninsula and south bay. by 5:00 during the evening commute, heavy rain moving in with gusty winds. it tapers off tonight through scattered activity. a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow and rain moving out friday. another round of rain moving in on saturday. >> that is your that is your latest weather. savannah, you'll see y savannah, i'll see you tomorrow morning from universal orlando where we're opening up it's the big grand opening of the "today" cafe. >> excited for that, al. thank you so much. just ahead olivia wilde. we'll talk about her directorial

olivia wilde is no s olivia wilde is no stranger to starring in movies but now she's taking her talents behind the camera "book smart" is her directorial debut following two overachieving high schoolers who realize maybe it's time to break some rules before they officially graduate. >> we're just going to be the girls that missed out. we haven't done anything we haven't broken any rules. >> okay, we've broken a lot of rules. one, we have fake i.d.s. >> so we can get into their 24-hour library. >> name one person whose life is so much better because they broke rules. >> picasso. >> name another one. >> rosa parks. >> another one. >> susan b. anthony. >> good morning. i can't say it enough. this movie is getting great reviews. >> it's crazy. >> you're the director that just make you so proud.

>> i'm so proud of these actresses, this cast they're a new generation of actors amend i'm so excited. >> i love the premise. it's two girls who i guess are goody-goodies. they're book smart. >> yes. >> and decide to let it loose on the last night before graduation. >> they're unapologetic about how intelligent they are but decide they've never been able to have fun and they want to show that they're multi-dimensional and they're smart and fun and they're going to prove it. >> i love it, you cast these two and told them -- it says that you suggested -- i don't know if you suggested or required that they live together during the filming. >> yeah. it was necessary because they're supposed to be playing best friends for ten years and i needed that kind of layered friendship that's deep you watch someone grow up, so they lived together all through preproduction and production >> it shows. even in that little clip they are clicking, you can see the chemistry. all right, do you have the director's bug >> i have it really bad. >> you do? >> i love it so much. >> let me feel your head oh yeah, you got it bad.

>> i got the fever it's so fun. it's the best job in the world. >> of course people will always ask this but do you think you like it better than acting >> film is a director's medium theatre is the actor's medium and i think there's opportunities to do everything you can do everything. i've been producing for years and i just want to keep doing them all so i can get better at everything but directing is something i've been waiting to do for a long time and i'm part of a movement of women 4% of studio films last year were directed by women that's crazy. >> to hear your voice come through the film is really exciting how did you even learn there's not -- i guess there is a director's school. >> i didn't go to it. >> on-the-job training. >> exactly i shadowed every director i every worked for and i had the chance to work for amazing people like martin scorsese, ron howard, and i loved being able to follow them around, ask questions and they were very generous with me. >> there's a certain actor in

the film that you did not do the proverbial nationwide search for, jason sudeikis, your husband. what was that like to direct him? >> so fun. jason is the one of the world's best improvisers and i knew i could just give him a little bit of information and he would run with it. everybody was howling with laughter you don't often get to see your partner do their magic tricks and i got to see it on set and it was great. >> did he take direction well? >> he did. he's used to it. >> did the kids come by the set? >> our kids are just about the same age otis who's five now, he came by the set and he has a hard time being quiet so his favorite thing was to yet cut he knew once he yelled cut everybody could talk so he was on set yelling cut. >> he's got the bug too. >> now he directs my iphone videos he's like, okay, mom, action

i'm like, yes. he pretends to do the slate. >> it's so cute. as i said, the movie is called "book smart" which made us think about you in high school, and yes, i found a high school picture of you. >> oh, no. >> we're going to put it up. i haven't seen the picture >> ah. >> as i suspected, you did not have an unattractive face. >> well -- it's the tragedy of -- >> were you a nerdy, book smart person >> i went to a nerdy book smart school everybody was competitive but i was a theatre person and that's where i have found all my happiness. >> i'm so happy for you, proud of you directing i know we're going to see a lot more from you. thank you so much. by the way, 100% on rotten tomatoes. >> yeah, it's crazy. >> high five you can catch "book smart" in theaters next friday may 24th.

>> 100%, wow thanks very much. speaking of book smarts, we've got a few experts on the subject right here sharing their picks for the summer's hottest reads. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ [ crying ] ♪ you protect them at home. we help protect them online. this is beyond wifi. this is xfi. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity. the future of awesome.

we're back with a read we're back with a read more "today" memorial day around the corner perhaps a few books are in your future here are some of their favorite reads, isaac fitzgerald, sarah j. mass and jenny hahn thanks for being here. >> thanks for having us. >> this is nice. the add ron dak chairs. >> you look so good in this chair. you should sell these. like you know how to sit in this chair. >> i'm very comfortable. how about you start us off with your favorites. >> absolutely. jessica francis cane wrote a fantastic novel called "rules for visiting."

it's about a gardener, she's 40 years old and gets a month off of work, a gift that she's awarded and she uses that time to reconnect with old friends. the ways in which this is a mystery or thriller is that friendship is thrilling and she's really examining the mysteries of life, who are we, who makes us what we are at the core of this incredible novel, there's so much information about plants and beauty in it but at the core it's all about friendship and i love it. >> you make every book sound exciting. >> they're really good. >> sarah, you have one about a hollywood p.i. >> i do. i have the second book in the series "detective by day" series called "hollywood ending." it's like "veronica mars" meets entourage where a former actress in l.a. becomes a private investigator first to help her parents save their house from foreclosure. that's actually my baby. >> i was wondering what's his name? >> terran. he's almost one and he's ready

for the beach obviously in his sear sucker s. >> i love that suit. >> the detective by day series books are fun, thrilling the mysteries kept me guessing up until the very end. i apologize for my baby crying in the background. >> we never apologize for babies here jenny, you've got an interesting who done it. >> if you liked russian doll you'll love this it's like agatha christie meets groundhog day. a guy lives the same day over and over again where someone died at a house party. each day he wakes up in a new body. >> i love books like that. >> really cool. >> beach season reads wouldn't be anything without love under the sun. >> you got to have lunch and romance. "good talk" covers all sorts of different kind of love, love between a mother and a son, love between family, how love can sometimes be trying and how we're all kind of different people

this is an incredible graphic memoir so it's drawn that's why i love this book too as a beach pick because it slips into your beach bag. it is hilarious, enjoyable but it is also so deep and i'm just going to say this, this is the book of the moment that we're in right now and if you are having a tough time, having good talks, having conversations, this is the memoir for you sar s >> sarah >> the maid of honor and best man at a wedding hate each other but when the entire wedding gets food poisoning except for them, they wind up being offered the free, all expenses paid honeymoon to hawaii. the catch is they have to pretend to be newlyweds. it is so fun, perfect beach read, awesome banter and the hawaiian back drop. >> sounds like someone has the mov movie rights. >> i hope so. >> jenny

>> this is called "daisy jones vi." it's '70s, l.a. glam, sex, drugs and rock and roll. two band members have a long simmering love for each other. >> okay. love or lust >> both. you saw me hesitate. >> yeah, i did >> words matter. >> isaac, what adventure are you taking us on >> "the old drift. this is a debut writer and she is at the top of her game. it's incredible. the sentences in this book are just lyrical it's beautiful it covers three generations of three different families in zambia and literally i'm talking this adventure is in there but it covers so many genres it starts as historical fiction and brings us into the near future over these three generations and ends as science fiction. this book is the best read and i love this because it's big and

if you've got a long vacation ahead of you this is the one to bring. >> sarah, you're taking us to world war ii. >> deejay girls by sarah rose. it's the true untold story of women recruited by britain to be spies. there were parts that gave me full body chills i was hysterically crying at points i've never read a book like this even if you think you don't like nonfiction, pick up this book. >> "love from a to z" is about two teens heading off to spring break in the middle east. >> love or lust? >> love. they meet on a plane and it tackles heavier issues like islamaphobia and degenerative disease. it's adventure, love and home. >> thank you, thank you, thank you so much. by the way, they picked a bonus beach read you can find that and all the books we talked about at today.com/shop let's head outside.

>> up next, we have the new cast of cirque du soleil which is why i brought savannah we have a jaw dropping show they're going to perform live but we also need o cactus selfieur

>> announcer: the citi concert >> announcer: the city concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by city welcome back cirque du soleil of course known for their incredibly visual and breathtaking acrobatic productions. their latest tour, a waking dream of mexico, no exception. >> that's right. under the big top, it takes audiences on a magical journey bringing traditional and contemporary circus disciplines to a whole new level the cast has stopped by our plaza for a special performance, so, take it away

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> cirque du soleil, thank you again. carrie ra car kari hall, we're watching a storm and we have rain shifting over towards the east bay, and areas is wet now.

we will see a break by early afternoon. noon round of heavier rain this evening and it will continue on from 6:00 to 11 and by midnight, we see it tapering off to scattered rain. a new weather system moving in tomorrow that could bring in thunderstorms. we will keep you up-to-date on that and scattered showers off and on throughout the weekend. marcus? >> thank you. there's a new plan in play that would provide b.a.r.t. access to people as far away of stockton. go to our local session of the home page now being considered. playoff fever is heating up for the san jose sharks for dedicated plans to show lifelong devotion. limited number of people can receive free shark tattoos. go to nbcbayarea.com twitter feed for more. the may storm has!

we )re tracking a second spring storm set to slam the bay area tomorrow. our team will be monitoring any issues that arise overnight. plus---a north bay school name debate heats up! the meeting where you can weigh in on the controversial dixie school district. join us tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

rockefeller plaza this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning, everyone. welcome to the third hour of "today." i'm sheinelle with craig and dylan, al is in washington, d.c. we'll explain why in a moment. and we have maria shriver here this morning. we always love when you're here. we have a lot to tal about this morning on this wednesday. of course, breaking overnight, news out of the state of alabama. you guys have been talking about this earlier. a bill would effectively ban all abortions in the state is heading to the governor's desk. it would make abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony, a crime punishable for 99 years