san mateo and bart is a great option as well. >> a local news cut-in at 7:25. . good morning. breaking news. ready to talk. special counsel robert mueller set to speak out in the next hour delivering his first public statement on his two-year russia investigation. we're live at the white house. battered. overnight tornados roar through several states from kansas to new jersey. devastated residents in ohio taking measure of their lives. >> things that have been here any whole life are gone. >> tens of millions at risk again today. states of emergency.

those unrelenting storms feeding historic flooding in the south and midwest. homes and businesses underwater. >> prepare for the worst-case scenario. >> the situation growing only more dangerous this morning. all that plus, death trap? new concerns that overcrowding and inexperience are making mt. everest even more treacherous. a live report just ahead. summer travel nightmare, why airport delays could be worse than ever this summer season. and grateful to be alive. >> nonhow they spotted me. i mean, that is pure -- that is a miracle. it's a miracle. >> the hiker saved after 17 days lost in the hawaiian jungle tells us exactly how she survived. today, wednesday, may 29th, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in

rockefeller plaza. >> we have breaking news that just came into our newsroom. >> big and surprising news out of d.c. >> that's right. robert mueller the special counsel has announced that he will make a public statement, this is the first time he has spoken out publicly since he completed his investigation, nbc's white house correspondent peter alexander has the story this morning. good morning. what do we know? >> reporter: it bears repeating, this will be a dramatic statement. no matter what robert mueller says, the announcement coming from the justice department 30 minutes ago that the special counsel robert mueller still an employee of the doj will make a statement one hour from now at 11:00 eastern, 8:00 pacific time on the investigation into russian interference in the 2016 campaign. as you note, this is the first time that americans will hear from mueller on camera in more than two years. it comes more than a month after he completed his report. we are told that mueller will only be making a statement. there will be no questions from reporters according to the justice department.

just a few moments ago i spoke to a senior white house official here who tells me that the white house was advised last night that mueller would be making a statement. we're told that the president is aware of that. we're told they were not caught off guard by the announcement today but there is no indication whether they know what mueller will say. you will remember just last week we heard from the president, he had held an event in the rose garden decrying no obstruction, he said, among other things. he said why does he have to testify, about robert mueller, it's ridiculous was the president's comment. democrats of course have been pushing for him to testify on capitol hill, so the question, savannah, today remains why is he speaking now as democrats say they want him to testify and they say that it could happen behind closed doors, as he wants, that's what he's pushing for and they say that he wants a transcript released. we wait to hear what robert mueller says. >> i wondered about that, peter. we heard the judiciary compare managery nadler last week talking about his negotiations with mueller, the democrats as

you mentioned do want to see him on capitol hill. he revealed that mueller had said he wanted to do some kind of statement in public, but then answer questions in private. do you think this fact that he's doing a public statement now might have something to do with those negotiations with congress breaking down in some respect? >> reporter: i think it is certainly possible, obviously. robert mueller didn't want this to be a spectacle. remember when james comey testified what a scene that was, you can only imagine what it would be like if robert mueller took questions on capitol hill in this divisive partisan environment we live in right now, as we heard from jerry nadler who of course heads up the house jack dorsauouse judic the bottom line is he said mueller would talk to members of congress but only behind closed doors. that he would make a statement in skrans of it. what will he say today? does he announce that his time at the doj is over, it would clear him up to speak.

all of those are open questions right now. again, that statement which everyone is going to be watching will take place less than an hour from this moment. >> peter alexander with the breaking news out of washington from the white house north lawn. thank you. we will be back with you. the other big story we're following this morning, of course, the severe weather. >> overnight tornado warnings stretched all the way from the southern plains into the northeast. in the south that you says of homes are being threatened by historic flooding. >> we have al's forecast just ahead but let's start with gabe gutierrez he is in dayton, ohio. >> reporter: ohio's governor has declared a state of emergency for several counties and this tornado didn't just flatten wooden homes, take a look at this, it for through concrete this building came crashing down, luckily no one was inside. not far from dayton one person was killed. all this as yet another round of severe weather matches across the country. joe every night new severe

storms on the move with more reported tornadoes including this monster twister devastating parts of the kansas. the dangerous system sparing kansas city but injuring nearly a dozen people in a neighboring county. travelers forced to take shemter at kansas city international airport as a precaution. storm debris shutting down the airport for several hours and grounding flights. in the northeast the suspected tornado touching down in new jersey. >> i've never seen it like this ever in new jersey. >> reporter: high winds damaging a high school in stan hope as families attended an event inside. two people suffering minor injuries after a light post fell on their car. in the new york city area a rare tornado warning with lightning stretching across the skyline. violent weather tearing apart buildings in northern pennsylvania in a matter of seconds. the relentless weather had already carved a path of destruction through indiana and ohio. >> the walls shook like an earthquake and it was so deafening.

i mean, it was so loud. >> reporter: in and around dayton rescue teams frantically search for survivors. >> fire department, anybody home? >> reporter: one man was killed in celina, ohio, and this morning lisa is struggling to cope. >> it would be better if i knew where i was going to stay. >> reporter: she huddled in her bathtub. the ef-3 tornado packed winds up to 140 miles an hour it obliterated this shopping mall, tearing through br i can and concrete causing most of the structure to collapse. it's been a devastating few weeks. tornado reports each of the last 13 days, more than 500 over the last 30 days. >> things that have been here my whole life are gone. >> reporter: here in ohio shelters have been open for some of the displaced residents and local authorities are urging people to could be serve water because the power is still out to some of the pumping stations. >> gabe gutierrez starting us off. thank you so much. now to another major problem

that's tied to this relentless severe weather, that historic flooding, it's hitting communities especially hard along the arkansas river including sand springs, where evacuations have been issued and homes are under water. kerry sanders is there. kerry, what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning, craig, it rained overnight and every drop of water is adding to this disaster. let me take you up river. what you're looking at is an ocean of water here. as we fly back from this ever expanding lake you can see that the army corps of engineers is trying to control the flow of this water as it races towards tulsa with this, the keystone dam. how much is flowing at this chokepoint? 2.4 million gallons of water every second. that's twice the amount of water going over niagara falls. this morning massive flooding in the midwest. many lives being threatened in

nebraska, missouri, and kansas from the rising waters. in arkansas a state of emergency is in place, including mandatory evacuations in some areas where the swollen arkansas river is threatening communities. the river expected to crest above its flood stage of 43 feet by saturday. >> the river has not crested yet. this event will happen. it will be historic. it will be unlike anything that most of our residents in arkansas have seen. >> reporter: in arkansas, the water got so high it spilled over some levees. the fear now in oklahoma is the same could happen here resulting in more homes and businesses just like this. oklahoma's keystone dam releasing 2.4 million gallons of arkansas river water a second. all of that water flowing downstream towards tulsa, threatening areas that are already hard hit. i came across these gentlemen in kayaks desperately trying to

make it back to a newly purchased home. >> i just bought the house in october. >> reporter: you have flood insurance? >> yes. i bought the minimum. so i'm only covered for 50,000. so if it does more than that, i've already -- i will have to cash out my 401(k). >> reporter: also in danger, tulsa's river spirit casino resort which employs 1,800 people. the resort's pool which normally looks like this now underwater with water beginning to seep into the building. the casino remains closed for safety, but management still looking out for their employees. >> we are currently continuing all of the compensation to, you know, a lot of them have flood issues. we want to help them out to the extent we can. >> reporter: unfortunately, in the coming days there is more rain in the forecast. already some cases the damage is already done. more than 170 homes under water. farm fields flooded in some cases with 16 feet of water. craig, savannah. >> all right. kerry sanders for us there in oklahoma. thank you. of course, al roker has been

tracking this. al, what a spaight of weeks we've had with this weather. >> we have been stuck in this pattern. looks like we will get a break coming up toward the beginning of next week. in the meantime 13 consecutive days, if we get another tornado today it will be 14 days. 353 tornado reports since this started 13 days ago. when it comes to weather weather reports, hail, damaging winds, rain, we've had over 2500 severe weather reports. unfortunately we've had seven tornado fatalities all occurring at night and unfortunately night tornadoes are much more deadly, you're 2.5 times more likely to die in a nighttime tornado than one dierg the day. we still have severe weather going on today, down in texas strong storms, severe thunderstorm watches and warnings still happening. even worse, we've got these flood warnings going from texas, watches i should say, all the way to missouri. this is a slow motion disaster going on.

we still have 66 million people at risk for severe weather today, stretching from new york all the way back down into texas where we have seven states, 27 million people at risk for tornadoes, damaging wind and hail. one inch or larger. this is a slow moving system today, severe storms from texas into the northeast, torrential rain and a risk of flooding continues from texas all the way into the midwest. tomorrow rain and storms move into the northeast. the good news is the risk of severe weather will be much lower. however, we do have a flash flood risk today into tonight, especially from dallas into missouri. rainfall rates of up to 3 inches per hour. but look at how far this flood risk stretches from ohio all the way into the northeast, training storms will continue to bring flooding. speaking of that flooding along the rivers, heavy rain right along the arkansas river, the missouri river and the mississippi river as well where flood stages still continue.

the mississippi river right now has been at flood stage longer than the great flood of 1927, more than 70 years ago. so this is catastrophic and historic. guys? >> extraordinary weather and certainly affecting travel for our friends out west as well. al, thank you. now to that landmark case centered on the nation's opioid crisis. the first civil trial that could hold a drug company responsible for the epidemic is now under way. it could have a major impact on thousands of other cases nationwide. here is nbc's national correspondent miguel almaguer. >> reporter: this morning drug giant johnson & johnson under fire in court. >> opioid crisis is a killer and a killer that does not discriminate. >> reporter: lawyers for the state of oklahoma saying the company held fuel the opioid epidemic, destroying lives and costing the state billions of dollars. >> if you oversupply, people will die.

the reason we have an opioid crisis is that simple. >> reporter: attorneys arguing johnson & johnson and subsidiary janssen pharmaceuticals should pay billions for eye lejdly creating the opioid crisis. >> johnson & johnson knew opioid drugs were addictive and caused harm. despite that they marketed their drugs as safe and effective for every day pain. >> reporter: the drug company's attorney denying those claims, pointing out the product have fda approved labels warning of addiction risks. >> they provided medically necessary medications for the treatment of terrible, terrible problems. >> reporter: defense attorneys arguing doctors legally prescribed the regulated drugs and much of the opioid crisis is from illegal activity. >> many stud show that opioids are rarely addictive when used properly for the management of chronic pain.

>> reporter: two other drug makers settled with the state. on sunday teva pharmaceuticals agreed to pay $85 million and in march purdue paid $270 million, both denying any wrongdoing. johnson & johnson's attorney telling the court its company makes a small share of the opioids prescribed in oklahoma. now the two sides are preparing to battle it out in what could be a precedent-setting case. >> that was nbc's miguel al almagu almaguer. they're saying that oklahoma trial could pave the way for thousands of opioid lawsuits that have been filed in different courthouses nationwide against drug makers, those cases have been consolidated, one courthouse before one federal judge in ohio. we will keep an eye on it. now to the latest on that miraculous rescue in hawaii. we are getting the most detailed account yet of what happened inside that dense maui jungle directly from amanda eller herself. molly hunter joins us with more

on what she is now revealing. molly, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning. look, she held a press conference yesterday and it was incredible. she was emotional at times, she was poignant, she was in control. she was very eloquent. the story just started pouring out of her. i spoke with amanda right after that press conference and she said it was all from the heart, all authentic and she hopes it makes a difference. >> i'm so grateful to be alive. >> reporter: for the first time an emotional amanda eller taking questions about her 17 grueling days lost in the maui jungle. >> what don't people understand about your experience out there? >> i don't know if anybody will -- can feel what i feel. >> reporter: at the hospital that treated her, she spoke about the will to stay alive. >> i was sitting in a foot of water on hard rocks that i knew were digging into my skin but i didn't have another choice. >> reporter: the 35-year-old yoga instructor and physical therapist says she was spiritually guided every step of the way. >> i took a fall from 20 feet, jammed my left knee up, was screaming in pain and looking at

the sky like you have to be kidding me. >> reporter: but she kept going, each night a struggle to find water, find food and a place to sleep. >> as the sun starts to go down you're like, okay, another night alone. how am i going to stay warm? how am i going to stay alive? >> reporter: her mission each morning, stay present and stay visible to the helicopters. >> the heels are passing over and i'm standing on rocks and waving them down and they're passing over and not seeing me, i'm invisible. >> reporter: 20 choppers passed overhe had head and those were the ones she could see until finally she had been spotted. >> when i looked up and saw the helicopter over me and's he pointing at me i fell to the ground and started balling. >> reporter: hoisting her to safety it was her friend javier cantellops and his team of searchers. >> i collapsed and it was the best first hug ever. >> reporter: and that hug followed by so many more in recent days. >> you have chosen life. you chose life every day of that journey. what do you want now? >> i'm so driven by purpose of

being here and helping people come out of pain and enjoy their life. that's what gets me going in the morning. >> reporter: now, amanda said she hopes her rescue and the community effort here can be replicated. she was so blown away by the outpouring of love here, guys, now she also said she probably won't be hiking anytime soon without a cellphone and she is not rushing back to the forest. >> all right. molly hunter there. there's just so many unbelievable parts to that story. >> it's an incredible story of survival and she lived to tell it. >> she did. mr. roker standing by. >> actually, i'm sitting. >> sitting by with a look at the weather out west. >> i'm a little tired. out west we are looking at nice weather. seattle, going to be gorgeous in l.a., 74, cooler than usual. temperatures have been a little cooler than usual for the last week or so. then we are looking at record highs in the southeast with temperatures approaching 100 degrees in parts of the southeast, strong storms moving

into the northeast so some of into the northeast so some of your air travel may be that's why i chose the spark cash card from capital one. with unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy why wouldn't i get this card?! i redeemed $115,000 in cash back in just one year which doubled our marketing budget last summer and i saw 69% growth year over year. my spark card is more than a credit card. it has actually helped me grow my business. what's in your wallet? and it is a little cloudy out there. current temperatures are still

cool. 54 degrees right now. in san jose. take a look at this view using our sutro tower camera with rolling fog coming through in san francisco. 52 degrees. not a lot of sunshine just yet. but have no fear. as we head in towards the afternoon, our temperatures will eventually warm up to a mix of sun and clouds. upper 70s for san jose. low 80s through the interior valleys. >> and that's your latest weather. >> still ahead, the crisis and that's your latest weather. craig? >> mr. roker, thank you. still ahead this morning, the crisis unfolding on mount everest. climbers dying amid that human traffic jam near the summit. what's caused it and what's being done about it? richard engel just landed in nepal, he's going to join us with a live report get ready to wait. a new warning before your summer travel why experts say lines and delays at airports coast to coast could be worse than ever

♪ i've slain your dreaded dragon.

for saving the kingdom what doth thou desire? my lord? hey good knight. where are you going? ♪ ♪ climbing up on solsbury hill ♪ grab your things, salutations. coffee that is a cup above is always worth the quest. nespresso. tis all i desire. did thou bring enough for the whole kingdom? george: nespresso, what else?

just ahead, >> just ahead, ellen degeneres just ahead, ellen degeneres telling david letterman about being the victim of sexual assault. this morning her deeply personal story. also pay attention if you sleep with a phone close by, how that habit is impacting your entire family, after your local news wow, that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing. kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a good job of raisin ya. two scoops meet real banana slices. somebody burned down my she shed.. your she shed was struck by lightning.

is my she shed covered by state farm? your she shed's covered, cheryl. that's wonderful news. go with the one that's here to help life go right. state farm. i heard there guwere fleas out here.r? and t-t-t-t-t-icks! and mosquitoooooooooooes! listen up, scaredy cats. we all have k9 advantix ii to protect us. it kills and repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, too. with verizon up, we won luke bryan tickets. there's an area just for verizon up members. it made me feel like a celebrity. (vo) the network more people rely on, gives you more. like big savings on our best phones when you switch. that's verizon. [zara larsson - "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 ♪

sirloin steak and big ribs.s you one-up him with a steak but add a steak, figuring steak and steak trumps ribs and steak. but, does it? fifteen combinations. steak, ribs, shrimp, and more. two meats. two sides. $14.99 ♪ i want it all ♪ ♪ 'cause there's nothing like this feeling, baby ♪ now that i've found you ♪ ♪ now that i've found you ♪

♪ i )m - -... our breaking news: nbc bay area skyranger - flying breaking news on this wednesday morning. 7:26. i'm laura garcia. nbc bay area sky ranger is flying over the bay bridge just a few moments ago. that's where you see a box truck slammed into a bus just before 5:00 a.m. westbound direction. sadly, one person died in that truck. but the impact continues to snarl traffic heading into san francisco. mike inouye joins us. this is the very latest look at the impact there. . >> you still see the flashing lights. the last few moments before our report, we just got word they have opened one more lane. three lanes are open into san francisco. but still we go from 19 lanes at

the toll plaza to three mid span. that is a big problem with a big backup. crashes at powell and maybe university causing more jam for the east shore freeway. eastbound 80 is okay to the richmond-san rafael bridge. in a an option. and 580. we have a backup through san leandro. another crash north 880, dumbarton caused slowing. vianey, there it is. this is westbound. you can use bart. >> yeah. you can see the cloud cover there. if you're wondering how to address for today, cool and cloudy to start. eventually a little bit warmer. a live look at sutro tower over san francisco. 50s will warm up into 60s. 63 in san francisco. 70 in oakland. and it will get warmer in the south bay with a high of 77 degrees for san jose. low 80s through concord. and the coastal areas will keep

cloud cover until this evening. so a mix of sun and clouds. laura. >> thank you very much. i'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. see you then.

n$2,254,938. now gives you a 29-day total of $2,254,938. two and a quarter million dollars. >> wow savannah guthrie, there appears to be no stopping jeopardy genius james holzhauer he trails the all-time money record by just 265,000 bucks, and he has done it in a third of the time >> he is just going to keep rolling on, i think. >> i am anxious to see how this ends. >> me, too let's start with the headlines of the morning the latest on this severe weather sweeping across the country.

overnight more reported tornados, including a massive twister that devastated parts of kansas the dangerous system spared kansas city itself, but nearly a dozen people were injured in a neighboring county travelers were forced to take shelte at kansas city airport, flights grounded there tuesday marks the 13th consecutive day of severe weather, reported tornados, a streak that included an average of 27 tornados a day and included a suspected tornado touching down in new jersey. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is raising eyebrows this morning for comments that he made during a luncheon in kentucky yesterday mcconnell was asked what would happen if a supreme court seat opened up in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. [ inaudible question ] >> we'd fill it. >> well, those comments contradicted his decision in 2016 to not consider president obama's supreme court nomination

of merrick garland after the sudden death of just inn scalia. at the time he said that the american people should have a voice in filling the vacancy in an election year. in a tweet chuck schumer called mcconnell a hypocrite. mackenzie bezos, the ex-wife of amazon founder jeff bezos, is pledging to give more than half of her fortune to charity. she received more than $35 billion in a divorce settlement she is the latest to join the giving pledge an organization created by bill and melinda gates and warren buffett the group invites billionaires to donate more than half their money to philanthropy or charitable causes either during their lifetime or in their wills. jeff bezos said he is proud of her. now to that dire situation on mount everest this morning concerns are growing amid overcrowding and the rising death toll. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle has just made his way to nepal this morning.

richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning from a very wet city of kathmandu it is actually a national holiday here it is everest day. 66 years to the day when everest was first summited but after this recent spate of deaths mountaineers are saying that something needs to change to improve safety at the roof of the world. after the deadliest climbing season on mount everest in years this morning mountaineers in nepal say the deaths were mostly preventible. >> a lot of deaths because of human error. it almost makes it more tragic. >> incredibly sad. you know, i think most of the deaths i think are fairly preventible as well with good judgment, good decision-making, experienced guides that you are going with. >> reporter: this year hundreds of climbers were locked in bottlenecks within 1,000 feet of their goal everest's prized summit. in an area often called the death zone because there is so

little oxygen you can't think straight, climbers described pushing, shoving, and arguments. some calling it lord of the flies on the mountaintop distressing images emerging of sherpas struggling to help the dying. this photo says it all climbers walking past what appears to be a body woody hartman, an american from denver, capturing the image. >> along the trail there were actually frozen bodies presumably from the day before or some prior time so, i mean, you are already wrestling with your own fear of death, and then you are seeing literally dead people strapped to the safety line that you are passing. >> reporter: at least 11 people have died on this widowmaker so far this year. among them chris kulish of colorado and donald cash of utah, both men dying on their way down from the peak after reaching the top the death toll is already double the annual average

experienced climbers blame narcissism and greed too many inexperienced climbers scrambling for selfies to check off a bucket list. >> some of the people don't know how to put on their clamp ons and the harness. >> reporter: there is no minimum standard no required skill level to attempt the climb. >> i am on the summit of mount everest. >> reporter: colin o'brady, an experienced climber and endurance athlete says everest presents many challenges. >> if you are stuck in a queue, or you can climbing up more slowly, your body is not able to push hard enough the risk is that you end up on the death zone actually running out of supplemental oxygen. >> reporter: the nepalese government critics say they're all too eager to take th money from expeditions that can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars a head. >> how about it, richard you are there in kathmandu we can barely see you. what is the nepalese government saying about this criticism that they are allowing too many people on the mountain and that there should be more constraints

on who can actually climb? >> reporter: in this case the nepalese government is saying that weather played a factor there is a very short climbing season on everest, and this year, because of bad weather, the season was even shorter. and they say that caused there to be greater crowds, caused more agitation among the climbers but this is not a new criticism against the nepalese government. for years experienced climbers have said that something needs to be done to not only pick up the trash on everest, but to make sure that people who aren't ready for the mountain don't go to the mountain. >> absolutely. richard engle in kathmandu for us thank you very much. let's us turn once again to mr. roker for another check of the forecast here. are we going to get relief soon? >> i think we will we have been stuck in the same pattern for much of may here is the deal, here is what's happened we have low pressure out west. high pressure banked to the south. this stubborn pattern has been locked in place. a strong jet stream across the plains triggered the strong

storms plus we've had persistent tropical moisture pushing in, that's bringing in the rain and flooding and now we are finally seeing a break. this weekend, next week the jet stream lifts to the north. that reduces the severe threat we will have that tropical moisture tap remaining so we do have a lingering flood threat. we also have lingering heat to talk about the record heat continues in the southeast. potential record highs today and tomorrow in fact, for savannah, they have seen, they are going to see 100 degrees today. that's the fifth day of 100-plus degree heat. that ties an all-time record 95 montgomery. tampa 95 this might be your view if you're looking out of your window in san francisco. this is a view from sutro tower of usually the golden gate brid bridge. you can't make the out with the rolling fog. the clouds are keeping temperatures in the 50s for now. but eventually into the afternoon. we'll be climbing into the upper 70s for palo alto, 77 degrees.

low 70s in through oakland. upper 50s and 60s with more warming into the weekend. >> one of my forecasts, i know that you are listening. >> i know. it always perks always try to throw savannah into one of my rafts so i know you're limping. >> it always does perk me up al, thank you so much. coming up, how much does your child's iphone interfere with his or her sleep? an eye opening new report that could spur major changes to your family's nighttime routine. also ahead, ellen degeneres getting candid with david letterman about the abuse she says she suffered as a teenager. and surprising news from "game of thrones" star kit harington that has a lot of folks concerned this morning. but up next, expect delays it's shaping up to be a record-breaking travel season and not in a good way. what you could face at airports and why right after this try drive up at target.

delivered to your car door so you can do more. ♪ feels so good ♪ feels so good target run and done. moving? that's harder now because of psoriatic arthritis. but you're still moved by moments like this. don't let psoriatic arthritis take them away. taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. for people with moderate to severe psoriasis, 90% saw significant improvement. taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase risk of infections

and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. for all the things that move you. ask your doctor about taltz. nexgard chew comes the confidence you're doing what's right to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. and it's the only chew fda approved to prevent infections that cause lyme disease. nexgard. what one little chew can do.

the best way to hit the beach? with neutrogena® beach defense® sunscreen. helioplex® powered, uva, uvb strong. beach strength protection for the whole family. for the best day in the sun. neutrogena®. nature valley brings that satisfying crunch... ...that gets you going again. with real delicious honey and whole grain oats. for more this... ...and this. nature valley oats and honey crunchy bars.

seventh generation gets the laundry detergent from plants, not petroleum. and this stuff beets stains. its kind of a big dill. lemon tell ya. it squashes sixty of your toughest stains.

and leaves your clothes looking raddishing. so lettuce make the right choice, and choose seventh generation's plant based detergent. was that too corny? seventh generation. powered by plants. tested on sixty of your toughest stains. this morning on "in depth today," dire predictions ahead this morning on "in depth today," dire predictions ahead of the summer travel season. >> might not be a pretty one out there. you are likely to have a lot of company on planes, on the roads, at resorts across the country. nbc's tom costello is at reagan national airport this morning. tom, there is a reason we might be seeing bigger delays at the airport? >> reporter: yeah, several reasons. listen, if you thought last year was bad, expect even less elbow room this year the airlines expect 2.8 million

passengers every single day. complicating matters here, the 737 max still isn't flying, so the airlines can't rely on that in their fleet and you may have longer tsa lines because the tsa is sending officers to the border to help with the crisis there. up, up, and away america's summer vacation season is about to kick off 257 million of us flying before summer's end, many flying more than once. but at some airports tsa officers are already being diverted to help at the mexican border in all, the tsa says several hundred officers, office workers and air marshals could be temporarily transferred. the concern, if too many leave the nation's airports, we could see a return of 2016 when long tsa lines stretched for hours on end. >> frustrating. >> ridiculous. >> it's unnecessary. >> reporter: the nation's flight attendants warn it could happen again. >> it's a concern for flight attendants and pilots who know

what it's like when that security backs up and potentially threatens our ability to run an on-time operation, to run flights at all. >> reporter: with a record passenger surge airports are adding extra seats but with the boeing 737 max still grounded, american, southwest and united have had to cancel some summer flights and won't have as many planes in the event bad weather forces cancellations. the max unlikely to fly this summer when the faa finally does clear it to fly, the faa chief concedes passengers may be reluctant to board to what extent do you have an airline confidence problem but also a public confidence problem in this plane? >> it's completely understandable people have reticence and concerns there has been two accidents it is our job to make sure that we correct any problems that exist or may exist and that we get the 737 max back to the ability to fly safely to our standards. >> reporter: meanwhile, if you

are a procrastinator and still haven't booked a family vacation, experts say you are not too late. >> you can find a great deal as long as you are flexible with departure dates and kind of where you fly into you know, maybe it's too expensive to go to one local airport, but there is another hub within driving distance of your destination city. >> well, that was disheartening, tom. i know you have been doing what you do, talking to the experts to find out how we get the best deals as we head into this travel season. what are they telling you? >> reporter: so a couple of tips actually, i have more than a couple tips. number one, guess what you can find a really good deal, the best deals are usually online midday, midweek that's when fewer people are online shopping. tuesdays and saturdays usually the cheapest days to fly since fewer business travelers are flying friday the most expensive day to fly because all those business travelers trying to fly back and people trying to go on vacation.

also, we can tell you round trip tickets, guess what, surprise, round trip tickets are not always cheaper buying a one-way ticket can save you up to 10% on some u.s. flights. and if you make a connection, you can also save some cash. it may not be convenient it may take longer to get there. but connections can save you money as well. >> all right tom, you brought us down and lifted us up with news we can use. mr. costello, thank you. >> it's a roller coaster, isn't it >> yes. >> tom, thank you. stick around coming up next we are going to show you what may just be the worst first pitch in the history of baseball. but it's got some competition. that's right after this. if your current treatment isn't working... ask your doctor about entyvio®. entyvio® acts specifically in the gi tract, to prevent an excess of white blood cells from entering and causing damaging inflammation. entyvio® has helped many patients achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen

during or after treatment. entyvio® may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. tell your doctor if you have an infection experience frequent infections or have flu-like symptoms, or sores. liver problems can occur with entyvio®. ask your doctor about the only gi-focused biologic just for ulcerative colitis and crohn's. entyvio®. relief and remission within reach. now we look good, right? be! in old navy, always! oh, gingham and dots! what's good here? nothing, i just come for the outfits. hurry in for fifty percent off all tees, tanks, shorts and swim. now, at old navy. sir, you're a broker. what do you charge for online equity trades? uh, i'll look into it. (phone rings) lisa jones! lisa: (on phone) hey carl, what are you charging me for online equity trades? (nervous chuckle) lisa: and do i get my fees back

if i'm not happy? like a satisfaction guarantee? ugh. schwab! lisa: oh right, i'm calling schwab. thanks, carl! wait, lisa! lisa... are you getting low costs backed by a satisfaction guarantee? if not, talk to schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. if not, talk to schwab. ...to give you the alrprotein you needin ensure max protein... with less of the sugar you don't (grunti)g i'll take that. (cheering) 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar ensure. for strength and energy. it's either the assurance of a 165-pointor it isn't.on proces. it's either testing an array of advanced safety systems. or it isn't. it's either the peace of mind of a standard 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through may 31st. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer.

i've got an idea. ooh, what is it? what if we give the people iphone 10r when they join t-mobile? for a limited time join t-mobile and get the awesome iphone 10r on us. 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®. carson joins us. carson, can't wait for carson joins us. carson, can't wait for your take

on this. some are calling it the wors ceremonial first pitch ever. >> it happened at yesterday's white sox-royals game. the white sox's employee of the month, so she was given the honor. check this out things started out just fine she winds up. she throws >> oh, gosh. >> the ball quickly goes straight for the photographer. >> just a bit outside. >> maybe she was aiming for him. >> is that her ex-boyfriend? >> i don't know. >> we need the shot. i wonder if we got the shot. >> that's hard to do >> that's harder than throwing a strike. >> all right that's the photo. from the photographer, he got the shot >> wow. okay so this inspired us. we started talking about the worst pitches ever so let's count it down all right. number three, baba booey >> for sure. >> let's see it. mets game, this is 2009. >> just a little outside. >> hangs his head in shame here is mariah carey at the tokyo dome.

here comes mariah. >> what could go wrong >> didn't even try. >> there is really only one option for number one. >> 50 cent we love you. >> i'm telling you, that's hard to do. >> it would be hard. the pressure, you know >> oh, my gosh. >> right there don't forget, al, you were out there. that's a gem let's bring it back. 2017, mets. >> you didn't shame us. >> no. >> just the pants. >> ooh >> you know i love those pants. >> al, what is it like to be out there? >> exhilarating. you can't explain it. >> not intimidating at all >> of course it is you understand why baseball players have the egos they do. >> everybody is, yeah. you nailed it. you did a great job. >> best first pitch? bush 43, world series, game three. 2001 a month after 9/11. they made for 30 for 30 out of it on espn >> that's right. perfect strike. >> a whole documentary

>> yes. >> he was a baseball team owner. >> yes, he was. all right. just ahead, student loans. how to cut them down to size after this ♪ swish up on that fadeaway ♪ feels so good ♪ even got my own parade ♪ come on ♪ what a feeling get your game on with same day delivery order pickup and drive up. target run and done. tlet's go mets! go time daddy! [ giggling ] ohhhh man. took my hat off. [ "to love somebody" by bee gees playing ] that's crazy! [ crowd cheering ] [ screaming ] let's go mets! ♪ [ cheering ] with a lot of other young couples.

then we noticed something...strange. oh, could you, uh, make me a burger? -poof -- you're a burger. [ laughter ] -everyone acts like their parents. -you have a tattoo. -yes. -fun. do you not work? -so, what kind of mower you got, seth? -i don't know. some kid comes over. we pay him to do it. -but it's not all bad. someone even showed us how we can save money by bundling home and auto with progressive. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents. but we can protect your home and auto. do you battery sound.otect you want a charge?ng your parents. yeah battery charging. ♪ ♪ thank you so much. battery charging. ♪ nexgard chew

comes the confidence you're doing what's right to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. it's the #1 vet recommended protection. and it's safe for puppies. nexgard. what one little chew can do. nexgard. with the capital one savor card ♪ you earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. so when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? ♪ this network saved my life. my car was swept away in a flash flood. after about five hours, a lot of phone calls, they sent a helicopter, picked me up to safety. (vo) the network more people rely on, gives you more. like big savings on our best phones when you switch. that's verizon. man: one, two, here we go! ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive ♪ ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive, i'm alive... ♪ alive! gives you more vitamins and minerals than leading brands. because when you start with more, you own the morning. alive!

welcome back. unfortunately we still have a traffic alert on the bay bridge span. the commute west into san francisco out of oakland. crash activity blocks two right lanes. mid span you are jammed up. toll plaza filled in all lanes, including the hov lanes. that blends back towards the maze as well. your alternates are west 580, richmond to san rafael bridge. you can access that off the east shore freeway. flooding through oakland. lighter as well. some folks headed south. slowing down through san leandro and hayward. dumbarton, pretty steady. you could expect in the south bay. vianey, looking at the alternates again. san mateo, westbound 9 2 moving smoothly it did a half hour ago. >> a little bit of sunshine

peeking through. clouds are showcasing themselves. that's what is keeping our temperatures right now in the 50s. i do want to show you what it is going to look like into the afternoon. again, we will keep the cloud cover, mix of sun and clouds. by 12:00 in the 70s. temperatures will climb into the upper 70s. predicted high in san jose is 77 degrees. dry weather with storms nearby. mainly for the north bay and the sierra mountains coming into tomorrow. we'll monitor that very closely. laura. thanks, vianey. a live look at the justice department headquarters in washington, d.c. that's where special counsel robert mueller is expected to make a public statement in just about five minutes at the top of the hour. lots of speculation about what he may address and whether it pertains to the russian medals probe. we don't know the specifics. of course we will be following. we don't know if he will be answering questions as well this morning. again, it happens at 8:00. nbc news will take it live.

head to nbcbayarea.com to a link to live feed. democrats descendi the bay area. the 20-20 presidential hopefuls attending the major convention tomorrow--vowing for your vote. plus: a sunnyvale woman who thought she was getting a free i-phone ends up paying for it. our consumer unit steps in to help. join us tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

. this is an nbc special reporthere's savannah guthrie. >> hi, everybody. good morning. as we come on the air, we await any moment now a public statement from robert mueller, the special appointed to look into interference in the 2016 election. his report in public for several weeks now. let's listen. >> thank you for being here. two years ago the acting attorney general asked me to serve as special counsel and he created the special counsel's office. the appointment ordered directed

the office to investigate russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. this included investigating any links or coordination between the russian government and individuals associated with the trump campaign. now, i have not spoken publicly during our investigation. i am speaking out today because our investigation is complete. the attorney general has made the report on our investigation largely public. we are formally closing the special counsel's office and as well, i'm resigning from the department of justice to return to private life. i'll make a few remarks about the results of our work. but beyond these few remarks, it is important that the office's written work speak for itself. let me begin where the appointment order begins and that is interference in the 2016

presidential election. as allege by the grand jury in an indictment, russian intelligence officers who are part of the russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system. the indictment alleges that they used sophisticated cybertechniques to hack into computers and networks used by the clinton campaign. they stole private information and then released that information through fake online identities and through the organization wikileaks. the releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate. at the same time as the grand jury alleged in a separate indictment, a private russian entity engaged in a social media operation where russians citizens posed as americans in order to influence an election.

these indictments contained allegations and we are not commenting on the guilt or the innocence of any specific defendant. every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. the indictments allege and the other activities in our report describe efforts to interfere in our political system. they needed to be investigated and understood and that is among the reasons why the department of justice established our office. that is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation. the matters we investigated were of paramount importance. it was critical for us to obtain full and accurate information from every person we questioned. when a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government's effort to find the truth and hold

wrongdoers accountable. let me say a word about the report. the report has two parts. addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate. the first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating from russia to influence the election. this volume includes a discussion of the trump campaign's response to this activity, as well as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy. and in the second volume, the report describes the results and analysis of our obstruction of justice investigation involving the president. the order appointing the special counsel authorized us to investigate actions that could obstruct the investigation. we conducted that investigation and we kept the office of the acting attorney general aprized

of the progress of our work. as said forth in the report after that investigation, if we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. we did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime. the introduction to the volume two of our report explains that decision. it explains that under long-standing department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. that is unconstitutional. even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited. the special counsel's office is part of the department of justice and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. charging the president with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider.

the department's written opinion explaining the policy makes several important points that further informed our handling of the instruction investigation. those points are summarized in our report and i will describe two of them for you. first the explicitly permits the explanation of a sitting president because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents available. among other things, that evidence could be used if there were co-conspirators who could be charged now. and, second, the opinion says that the constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accused a sitting president of wrongdoing. and beyond department policy, we regarded by principles of fairness. it would be unfair to potentially, it would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody

of a crime when there can't be no court resolution of the actual charge. so, that was justice department policy. those were the principles under which we operated and from them we concluded that we would, would not reach a determination one way or the other about whether the president committed a crime. that is the office's final position. and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the president. we conducted an independent criminal investigation and reported the results to the attorney general, as required by department regulations. the attorney general then concluded that it was appropriate to provide our report to congress and to the american people. and what point in time i requested that certain portions of the report be released. the attorney general preferred to make the entire report public

all at once. and we appreciate that the attorney general made the report largely public and i do not question the attorney general's good faith in that decision. i hope and expect this will be the only time i will speak to you in this matter. i am making that decision myself. no one has told me whether i can or should testify or speak further about this matter. there has been discussion about an appearance before congress. any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. it contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. we chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself. and the report is my testimony. i would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before congress. in addition, access to our

underlying work product is being decided in a process that does not involve our office. so, beyond what i have said here today and what is contained in our written work, i do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the justice department or congress. and it is for that reason, i will not be taking questions today, as well. now, before i step away, i want to thank the attorneys, the fbi agents, the analysts, the professional staff who helped us conduct this investigation in a fair and independent manner. these individuals who spent nearly two years with the special counsel's office are of the highest integrity. and i will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments that there were multiple systematic efforts to

interfere in our election. and that allegation deserves the attention of every american. thank you, thank you for being here today. >> special counsel robert mueller of the justice department giving his first and what he says will be his only public remark on the almost two-year investigation he conducted into russia's interference into the 2016 election. importantly, he emphasized the aspect of the report that dealt with whether or not president trump obstructed justice in this matter. he said and the report said, if they had evidence that the president did not commit a crime, that the report would have said so. he emphasized it didn't say so and he emphasized that he and the office were bound by long-standing department of justice policy that states a sitting president cannot be indicted. he indicated that the constitution provides for other means for dealing with the president in these circumstances and, most importantly, he has

asserted that he will not testify before congress. i want to go to pete williams who was in that room. he is on the seventh floor of the justice department this morning. pete, he didn't go outside the report. he also has said he doesn't want to testify before congress. it may be that congress itself has a say in that. how do you expect this to play out? >> this was his victory speech. really, it was a formal end to the investigation. he decided he didn't want to make a public statement. most of it, you're right, was a summary of his written report. what he didn't say is nobody has told me whether or not i can or should testify before congress. so, that clearly is up to him. and he said if he does testify, though, don't get your hopes up. he is not going to go beyond what is in his report and he also said what was interesting, the special counsel office as of today ceases to exist. it largely exist several weeks

ago when the report was turned in but still doing some following up work. but now any discussion between congress and the justice department about whether and if the underlining materials that his people gathered will be available, he's going to be out of that entirely. he is going back to being a private citizen. he's not going to be involved in that. i didn't hear him say he's not going to testify. what i heard him to say, it is his decision alone and if he is, it's not going to be very spectacular. >> what he said is, i don't believe it would be appropriate to speak further. the fact of the matter is that the congress does have the power of subpoena. it may force the issue, but it's very clear and i turn to kasie hunt who covers capitol hill for us. robert mueller is trying to say to congress, you're barking up the wrong tree if you're trying to force this. i will not say anything outside of that report. you can fight over the underlying materials but i'm not your guy if you look to have me

come up on capitol hill and testify. >> savannah, this has been what we had been hearing from the committee in the weeks leading up to this momentous statement today that robert mueller seemed reluctant to participate in what would be most likely a public spectacle because, really, he has as he underscored in public for the first time today that the report does speak for itself. any value of it would be added coming before cameras would be dramatic as opposed to being substantive and adding to the record that we already know here. savannah, you hit on exactly what is the big question and i already put this to sources on capitol hill to see whether or not the house judiciary committee is going to send robert mueller a subpoena. we have seen the trump administration subpoenas left and right and refuse to cooperate with congress. as we heard, robert mueller now a private citizen and also somebody who is a very careful

observer and follower of the rules and practices that govern how all of this is supposed to unfold. he underscored that himself and we have been reporting it extensively throughout the course of this investigation. you heard him make reference to it, as well. describing how he made his decision about whether or not they could charge the president of the united states with a crime. so, i do think you're going to see potentially a different set of circumstances play out in the event that congress does send robert mueller a subpoena. so, again, we don't yet have an answer to this critical question but house democrats and democrats control the house of representatives and they control the gavel in those committees and, frankly, our eyes are turned towards what they are going to do next in terms of getting more answers, savannah. >> chuck todd with you there in washington. this is going to be a matter of analyzing what robert mueller chose to emphasize from his report. he gave a nine-minute statement and what he chose to highlight

is important. one of the things he mentions and goes out of his way to say that the doj opinion that says you can't indict and criminally charge a sitting president. says that the constitution requires the process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing. he's without using that word reminding folks that there is a process and it's called impeachment. >> savannah, i think that's the news out of here. is that he, in case anybody wasn't sure how to interpret the introduction to part two of the mueller report, robert mueller now told you how to interpret it. which is simply, this report, it's up to you, congress. you're the only one that can make the decision about whether or not a crime was committed here. the constitution essentially doesn't permit the normal process. so, in some ways, this is a rebuttal to barr. and i think the single most important sentence he uttered is

this. we chose the words carefully. meaning about the report itself. but that's also about mueller's statement today. he chose his words carefully. notice how he described part one. bill barr described it as a total exoneration. he said, insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy. right. how you choose to word something says a lot, if you will. this is bob mueller simply saying, there wasn't enough to charge a crime here that doesn't mean there wasn't behavior, perhaps, that we found suspicio suspicious. but i think the larger headline in this, bob mueller is making it crystal clear to congress. i did this report assuming this was your call, not the justice department's call. this was your call. i think he basically said it pretty straight forwardly. >> it's interesting because there had been some confusion, as you well know, chuck, about why this issue robert mueller chose not to make a prosecutorial decision. why he chose not to say whether

or not the president could be charged with obstruction of justice. bill barr, the attorney general, when initially announcing the results of the mueller report said that he concluded there was no obstruction of justice case and he said that had nothing to do with that department of justice rule that says you can't indict a sitting president. robert mueller had made crystal clear today that he was, in fact, bound by and guided by that department of justice rule that said a sitting president may not be criminally prosecuted. that is what he said in black and white. it seemed like he wanted to make sure that that issue had been settled. >> and not only that. i thought it was interesting how he chose, where he chose to the attorney general. he said he largely released the report and we are glad he did that in that decision. it was basically ignoring part one of what barr did. but in some ways and i'm perhaps giving a hint of what i think

you'll see a lot on cable today. take bill barr and take robert mueller and basically put them side by side how barr interpreted the report and how mueller basically. it's a rebuttal. and this is the statement i think that he thought a neutral attorney general would have given, had they read the report the way mueller intended for the report to be read. >> let's go to peter alexander at the white house and, of course, peter, we recall that many at the white house were stating that the mueller report was a complete exoneration. now we're hearing from robert mueller. how do you think this is going to go over at the white house today? >> savannah, i think you put your finger on it right there. with every mega phone the president had through twitter and on podiums and for the course of the last month and a half has tried to basically make that case. that this is a total exoneration. well, now, very clearly from robert mueller we heard, in

effect, a different story. by not charging donald trump they're not saying he didn't commit crimes, but they're not going to pursue him for the potential that he committed any crimes. which now leaves it to congress. the president in the course of the last month and a half have tweeted robert mueller's name more than 70 times. on friday he said, it would be ridiculous that mueller would testify. so, i think the white house will be happy to hear that this may be the final word from robert mueller, but certainly not the word they were hoping to hear today. my conversation with aides over the course of this day. we got the indication that the white house was notified that mueller would make a statement today. they learned about it last night. the president was notified, as well. but no indication that they knew exactly what he would say. and the conversations going into this, they seem to indicate they thought he would resign from the department of justice from special counsel office and shutting it down and that the focus would be heavily on that and the fact that he wouldn't testify. they were, in effect, trying to steer clear of what seemed to be

the real headline that came out of this today. the president has no scheduled public events today. he has a private meetings with the secretary of state, the vice president. so, there is no opportunity, at least to this point, for reporters to press the president on his findings here. but it certainly does complicate the argument that he has been making. what he and his allies insisting the argument for the course of the campaign. he has been totally exonerated here when robert mueller said, in fact, no exoneration. >> a lot to chew over here. let's talk to andrea mitchell who covers foreign affairs. the first part of mueller's statement also can be interpreted to say he was justifying the whole purpose and genesis of the russia investigation in the first place. he talked about the investigation establishing that an arm of the russian military and services of russia have interfered in the election and had a hacking campaign and a private russian entity that had engaged in a social media influence campaign and he said these matters needed to be investigated and understood in a

way it felt like he was trying to justify why it was that the special counsel was appointed in the first place. >> he felt like not enough attention was paid to that first session with all the reports from the white house and the president, of course, specifically saying no collusion. that he wanted to emphasize that. every american should be concerned about this attack. he went into more detail than one might expect in this statement about that original indictment against the russians a year ago june. i also think it's very important to emphasize that he said i hope and expect that this will be the only time that i speak to you in this manner. and he is saying that the report is his testimony. he is saying to the congress as you've noted that he did not want to appear and that he will not go beyond the four corners of his report. it is now going to be conflicting pressure, of course. a lot of people in the

democratic party, in particular, are going to be demanding that they force a subpoena to force him to appear to push this as far as they can. but others will say that this is an unnecessary piling on and that, in fact, he will not go beyond it. it will just be the political spectacle that he is certainly saying he does not want to participate in. i think it is very significant that he spoke so clearly about saying that he did not find that the president did not commit a crime. he's just saying that they did not conclude anything because of those regulations and that practice that the president cannot be indicted and it would be unfair to have a field indictment. that the only reason to have the investigation, plenty of reason to have the investigation to preserve the testimony while it is still fresh and to preserve the possibility of using it against co-conspirators, savannah. >> he went one step further, andrea. if we could have concluded and cleared him of a crime, we would have done so. but we didn't do that. let's play a little bit of robert mueller's speech a few

minutes ago. take a listen. >> in the report after that investigation, if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. we did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime. the introduction to the volume two of our report explains that decision. it explains that under long-standing department policy a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. that is unconstitutional. even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited. the special counsel's office is part of the department of justice and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. charging the president with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider.

>> let's go to pete williams, our justice correspondent who made his way outside of the department there in washington, d.c. pete, as you had a chance to marinate in this statement, what are you reflecting on? what do you think are the take aways? >> well, couple of things. first of all, talking to some members of his staff who were in the room to hear this speech by mueller, it's quite clear that he had no intention, just to be clear. i think you picked this up. he had no intention of testifying before congress. he said this report is my testimony. and he said i hope and expect this is the only time i will speak about this matter. so, no question. he does not want to testify before congress. you may have heard there was a question shouted to him as he walked away, what if you're subpoenaed and he said no questions. secondly, fundamentally there is nothing in his remarks here that goes beyond what the report says. so, all of the discussion you have been having about the fact that mueller said, you know, we

can't say the president didn't commit a crime, that's in the report. so, that remark does not go beyond the report. the only thing that i think is new here is and this gets a little bit processy, but the only thing that is new is when the special counsel staff made the decision that they would not say whether or not the president committed a crime. that they would not reach a conclusion about that. and the answer is, from the beginning. he said that because it would be unconstitutional to charge a president with a crime, charging the president with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider. one of the puzzles to us has been, what did they do? did they assemble all the evidence and then say, okay. let's decide whether the president committed a crime? oops. we can't do that because we're not allowed to. that didn't come at the end. that came at the beginning. nonetheless as the report said, we concluded we couldn't do this

investigation because, in essence, the president is a president forever and if there were a crime, someone theaur thauretically could be charged after they left office. they knew they couldn't charge the president with a crime, if they had found the evidence to indicate that he did so. they never did that calculus but on the other hand, he said today, as the report says that they also aren't saying they couldn't, they can't say that he didn't commit a crime. they couldn't exonerate him. >> that is interest. they knew from the get go we are never going to render a prosecutorial decision against the president because we're forbidden for doing so. we're employees of the justice department is essentially what he said. then he went on to say you could investigate because we need to preserve evidence to your point because the president is a president forever. if there is a criminal case

perhaps to be brought. then he mentioned, pete, this is about how congress, excuse me, the constitution has another process to deal with the president in these circumstances. let's go to mimi who is our legal analyst for nbc news. pete is very correct there. mueller didn't go outside the four squares of this report in anything that he said. on the other hand, it is a matter of emphasis and what he chose to highlight. what do you make of what he chose to single out today in his final and only comments on the matter, if he can help it. >> yeah. i mean on the one hand he didn't go outside the report. on the other hand, what he did is so valuable. i think shows why it would be valuable if he testified before congress, even if he only talks about what is in the report. the report is dense and he's walking us through it. here he did it in eight or nine minutes. he highlighted, first of all, something that we know because we read the report, but maybe not everybody does because it's been sort of by allies of trump

and trump himself. russia attacked our election. they interfered in a systematic way. boom. that's important and he's telling americans, pay attention to that. don't let that go by. second, he said here's why obstruction of justice is important to investigate. it strikes at the heart of our justice system. you cannot let those crimes go unattended, uninvestigated. third, he said without saying in exmrit explicitly the way we said, the president was not charged with a crime because he couldn't be but there is substantial evidence of obstruction of justice. he also said with respect to the trump campaign that he didn't find evidence to charge a prosecutable crime against members of the campaign with russia's interference. he didn't say anything about no collusion. that's important. because, remember, after barr's

letter came out before the report came out. the talking point became no collusion. mr. mueller did not say that he didn't find collusion because that is not what he was looking for. all these points are really important that he chose to emphasize and even if they're in the report, it shows the importance of walking the american public through these very basic points. and i hope that now congress picks up and does it in a more effective way and that's what mueller was asking them to do. >> that brings the expert in the law to expert in politics which is chuck todd. and, chuck, what do democrats do now? the issue is whether they want to force it with mueller. mueller could not have been clearer that he had no desire to testify before congress. he has said there is nothing to see here. the report speaks for itself. the report is my testimony he said today. but congress does have the power to subpoena and can try to force it. >> well, they can. but i think the larger issue

they're going to deal with is this. nancy pelosi politically doesn't want to do impeachment. she is trying to buy time and get to the end of the summer and say, you know what, the presidential campaign is too far along. this is not healthy for the country. we'll sort this out. except she has a problem now politically, savannah. that is this. yesterday you had a republican member of congress, granted it's somebody who is seen out on his own island at times, justin amash making the clearest case of impeachment and it happens to be a republican and now robert mueller. right. who speaks for the first time who, again, what everybody has noted here. what he chose to point out. his basic direct rebuttal to bill barr's characterization of everything bill barr has done to this point and him explicitly saying he believes only congress could make this decision. so, now, there isn't a question of did mueller intend congress to do it.

mueller said, i intended you to make this decision and now you have nancy pelosi facing the fact that she has a growing chorus of democrats who say it's time to impeach and the person making the clearest case publicly is a republican member of congress. i think the political pressure now on the leadership of the house to open impeachment inquiry is only going to increase. >> that brings us to pete williams at the justice department. i know you want to get in on this issue of impeachment. mueller didn't flat out say, congress, it's up to you. but he did point out that the constitution provides a remedy and it's over congress which refers to the impeachment process. >> process is the word he used. i'm looking at the text of his remarks now. the opinions, this is quoting now. the opinion says that the constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing. i think it's interesting that he

put that sentence in. yes, this was an eight minute or so thing, but a lot he didn't say. that he chose to say. in essence, a line and a footnote in this 400-plus page report. so, the fact that he chose to say it i think is interesting. it's an insight that it was very much on the mind of mueller staff. the only other point i wanted to make, savannah, and i want to be as careful about this as i can. i have covered robert mueller since he was the fbi director held for over 12 years and kept tabs with him in the past. we have all aged since then. he's now 74. and i did think today that, you know, that may be a question on his mind, as well. you know, at this point in his life, at this stage in his life. he finished his job as special counsel. he wants to put it beyond him now and move on. >> well, he certainly has been at the red hot center of political life for the last

couple of years and he said he wants to return to private life. we'll see if congress lets him. robert mueller this morning at the justice department for the first time addressing his almost two-year russia investigation. talking about what his report concluded, what it found and what it could not find and he has now by his remarks set off another round of speculation about whether or not congress will pick up where he left off. that question also regards his testimony as well. he has said he does not want to testify before congress and that it would be fruitless for him to do so. but now we will hear from members of congress and expect to hear later today from the democratic chairman of the house judiciary committee about what his next move will be and watching all of this from the white house, the president who, obviously, has a stake in all of this. we will continue to follow this. i'll be back with full detail tonight on nbc "nightly news." for now i'm savannah guthrie. we'll return you to regular programming. t, this is "today" .

. this morning on your money, a look at the real cost of student loans and the numbers are staggering. nationwide there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe nationwide there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion, that is a record high and it's more than double the total from just ten years ago for the 70% of 2019 grads with student loans the average balance $30,000 each so what's the smartest way to prepare for and tackle student loan debt? su suze orman is here to answer the burning questions you get all the time from parents. good morning. >> it's a big issue, especially right now, people are graduating

college, high school and now they are going to have to deal with getting loans or paying for those loans. >> 'tis the season $1.5 trillion, more than car loans, more than mortgages. >> in one five who have student loans with adults. if you have $250 billion are owed by people who are 50 years of age and -- >> still paying. >> and still paying. >> imagine you graduate 20 and you are still paying at 50 really, savannah sn>> when can i -- when should i start saving for my child's education? >> it's a simple one, when you can afford to forget about your kid for now. it's you do you have credit card debt are you saving for your retirement account are you still paying for your student loans? if you don't have the money to pay for yourself you cannot pay

and start saving for your kids to hear because they want to put their kids first in front of themselves how do you advise them to deal with that situation if they weren't in this strong financial situation? >> yeah. here is the thing. you've got to start the conversation early and you have to be honest with them otherwise, what we're doing, savannah, is we're saying i am going to pay for you, then they are going to have to pay for their kids then we have a family of people who are in total poverty so start the conversation early with them. >> like how old? >> i'd say 10 years. >> 10 years old? >> listen, these 10-year-olds today are not like the 10-year-olds when i was a 10-year-old. they know about money, know about phones they already know. start the conversation early and they'll get it. >> next question is how much can we spend or should we spend on college? when you are looking at your own budget. >> so you have to look at this and you have to look as you see here, i want you to calculate how much can you really afford and because you know, are you able to put anything away? can you not? what can you afford to pay the thing is, before you even

apply for loans, do your financial aid forms, your fafsa. sometimes you qualify for more financial said than you know. so you don't need as much loans. >> but the first thing is look at the budget, like how much could i actually spend on tuition bill >> and how much can the kids afford to spend afterwards to pay it back. >> let's say you have gone to college, taken on loans. what can you do now? you have graduated to kind of mitigate the repayment of loans. >> yeah. you have got to understand that your student loan has got to be your number one priority they are not dischargeable in most cases in bankruptcy what you could do is why not start paying some of those student loans, the interest back while you are in college get a job. get two jobs and start paying it back before they come due. go live back with your family. you can do that. get many roommates but you have to do that. >> yeah, don't let it accrue >> if you let it accrue, you are going to see 50,000 or 30,000 that you talked about at the

beginning. it's going to turn into 60 it's going to turn into 90 you are still going to be 50 paying it off. >> you just said prioritize the student loans. a lot of kids are going, i have an entry level salary, i have to pay rent, pay food how do i make this work? >> they should have figured that out seriously before they took on student loans there is nothing wrong with going to community college there is nothing wrong -- listen, you are not a bad parent just because you cannot afford to pay for your kids' college education. be honest with them. tell them what's true. really look at financial reality for yourself as well as for them don't let them graduate with $100,000 of student loan debt. you make the school. the school will never make you. >> suze, thank you so much appreciate it. tough talk this morning. coming up next, a young star of "stranger things" and a new godzilla movie, too. we will catch up with millie bobby brown.

millie bobby brown, a ♪ millie bobby brown, a two-time emmy nominee for "stranger things," is starring in one of the year's most anticipated action adventure movies "godzilla: king of the monsters." check out this scene where milley's character finds herself trying to take down godzilla's ultimate >> wow. millie, good morning. >> good morning. nemesis single-handedly. >> wow millie, good morning.

>> good morning. >> you are not messing around in that clip? >> no. >> this is your first feature film. >> correct. >> and it's not just any feature film this is the second in the godzilla series. what was that like for you how much fun was this? >> oh, i had so much fun i mean, just to be on set and to be with such amazing actors. you know, then you are working with godzilla who is the biggest diva of them all so, yeah, so fun. >> in this film is there something that's in the room with you there is there an actual monster, or is it all computer generated >> yes, we tried so hard to get godzilla out of the trailer. no it was either a tennis ball or a piece of tape or a beach ball. like one of those three. >> so it really requires some acting >> oh, yeah, yes the ultimate test. >> we were talking a few moments ago, right now you are calling atlanta home you were born in spain

you lived in london. you are quite the global renaissance woman at just 15 >> yes well, if that's what you think >> that's what i know. >> live on a plane i live on a plane, yeah. >> let's talk a little bit about "stranger things." season three debuts on july 4th as i understand it. >> yes >> did you know that that series was going to become what it has become, this sort of cultural phenomenon >> you know, i think i was expecting it to be brilliant the outcome was going to be great. i didn't know that the people would love it so much. so it turned out to be, you know, amazing. so, yeah i love it so much. it's so close to my heart. >> what do you think it is about the story that has managed to really capture the attention of millions of people >> i think that the show represents individuality and each character is different and unique in their own way. so it represents, you know,

individuality, which i love so much about, yeah, about the show i think that's what people relate to. >> what can we expect in season 3? >> it's bigger, better, and stranger, of course. >> it sounds like the folks at netflix won't let you tell me? >> no, no, no. not at all. >> i read recently that you had decided to take a bit of a break from social media to focus on work why? >> well, i had been doing -- i had been filming "godzilla: king -- versus king kong. you know, it's always good to have a bit of a break. i think it's important to enjoy your family time, also to focus on your work but then i came back and i'm back on social media now just to get ready for everything that's coming out i'm really excited but i have a great following so it was sad to leave them behind, but i needed to focus on my character. >> did you find when you left social media, did you find yourself more relaxed? >> you know, i found myself focused more. >> okay. >> focused more on my work because, you know, social media

is a bit of a distracting place to be. it's very addicting. you want to scroll but, no, i think it was important for me to take a break and to focus on madison, which is the next movie coming out so i really wanted to make sure we got it right. >> you have so much going on you have achieved so much success. you are just 15 years old. you have this sherlock holmes project that's coming out this summer apparently. you have your first feature film "stranger things." how are you staying grounded is there someone or something that is helping you stay right here >> i would say my family, you know i travel with my family. i don't leave them behind. they are constantly with me. >> there they are. >> yeah, those are my siblings so i have my brother, who is my best friend. and my sisters, who i absolutely just love. i mean, paige travels around the world with me. we are all so close. my parents are the greatest.

we all travel together as a pack and they will never let me get out of order >> we hope not. >> yeah, never. >> thank you "godzilla: king of the monsters" hits theaters may 31st "stranger things 3" debuts july 4th on netflix carson, over to you, buddy >> thanks so much. coming up next, dave zinczenko is the king of steering us towards healthier choices when it comes to eating. this morning he is introducing us to the best new sweets and snacks hitting the market. he did his research, went to chicago, went to the expo.

[ cheers and applause welcome back, friends. >> tired of the same old chips and dips, can't stomach another bite of the usua granola bar. dave zinczenko, founder of eat this, not that, is here to help you out. last week dave and your team went to check out, that's the expo in chicago, sweets and snacks. looking for the latest and greatest products that will be

hitting the shelves and you have brought some of the hits of the expo to studio 1a. so good morning. let's start with the expo in chicago. as you were making the rounds with your team did you see one trend from a product or what companies are trying to do >> the trend is towards more nutritious but still delicious these are the best of the best it's like encountering an entire herd of unicorns in the candy and snacks world they are brand new they're delightful they get you on a path to better health. you will want to love them and keep them around forever >> delicious and nutritious not an easy combination. >> not at all. that was very hard >> what did you bring back >> two great breakfast options starting with a smart tart this is a twist on your toaster pastry the great thing is you get to put your own topping on it it's like a blank canvas so here we have a strawberry chia smart tart with more fiber, more protein, fewer calories than your usual treat. we put peanut butter on the top of it. use chocolate hazelnut.

>> wow. that does not taste deity in the least. >> deliciousness is one of the trends you've got to keep it delicious or they are not going to want to eat it. >> what about this core bar? >> it's like overnight oats, fresh ingredients, completely real keep it in the refrigerator, but it's also focused on your core prebiotics and probiotics for overall digestive health you can crumble it on some greek yogurt or something like that. if you don't want to have the bar on its own >> are they perishable >> it is it will last for about a week. so you want to refrigerate them. >> okay. good what do you got next >> this is great for flexitarianism if you love meat and if you don't want to give up meat, you can go with schrooms that's taking portobello mushroom, a meaty mushroom and combining with filet mignon. >> they mix it up? >> yes completely natural a lot of fiber that's another trend less sugar, more fiber, fewer

calories, still delicious. that's a great grab and go treat. >> i love me some jerky. what is the difference between the portobello and filet mignon once it's jerkied? is it better for you >> they're both meaty. >> it works perfectly. they also have turkey and peppered beef. >> excellent. >> this is a one ingredient wonder this is just the cheese. it's aged cheddar. it's wisconsin cheddar you are going to steal it? >> i am doing shopping while we are doing this segment i've got you guys. i've got you >> all you do is bake it one ingredient real cheese. it's not made with cheese. it's made completely of cheese. >> right. >> and it's crunchy and perfect. >> wow >> you want to steal those, too. >> i mean, that is excellent >> bring it over >> i am going to steal everything. don't no worry about that. >> okay. we got more. we got more. >> taking that with me. >> we have a healthier version of cheetos -- >> you know me on the show

i call it like i see it. this is delicious stuff. >> wait until you try everything these are peatos instead of a corn and potato base, this is a pea based, pea and lentil. >> five finger discount over here oh, come on! you can't take the set with you. >> he can and he will. >> i'll block from over here you block from over there. anyway, these are crunchy. they have double the protein. >> this is a take on cheetos >> triple the fiber. >> this is their classic cheddar. new ranch coming in early june and they have three other flavors. >> delicious al, come get this one, too. >> okay. great. >> oh, my god. >> how much time do we have left >> the cheetos are wow. >> all right wait these are smart peach rings. >> these look like candy. >> these win the fiber award 28 grams of fiber. no added sugar

a whole day's worth of fiber right here in this one bag, 80 calories. >> tastes like a gummy worm. that's delicious. >> come over here. my mother said the whole time growing up, eat your beans i wish these bada bing, bada booms this been around these are only 100 calories. these are delightful these are banana chips these are sort of whackier, crazier chips. >> they are like bar snacks. >> everything is great >> you killed it that is unbelievable there is nothing left on the set. thank you. to shop for all of these products and more head to today.com/food guys. >> that jerky especially we like that thank you. >> goodness. >> man. >> we are all eating. >> more great stories at today.com all day. >> one dad's cargo shorts. >> straight ahead, third hour, the star of broadway's "frozen."

>> the fourth hour, penn & -- >> is he going to do his roker >> i think he is. >> a great roker. >> first, your local news and weather. let's get some more of the set over here. happening now... traffic alert that continues on the bay bridge westbound 80 but we're down to just one lane blocked. the investigation from a deadly crash continues to slow traffic. one out of five means you're still down 20% of the capacity. across the east shore freeway, jammed out of richmond and berkeley and oakland, a little

lighter until you get to the maze. a lot of folks are heading down to the san mateo bridge. san mateo bridge, less now. b.a.r.t. running longer trains, taking more commuters to the peninsula. staying clear of problems. watch the east shore clearway, that is still moving slow. special counsel robert mueller gave us his comments on what he says will be his only comments on the russian meddling probe. we're breaking down everything mueller said with a full report on our midday newscast. striking east bay teachers are resuming talks this morning with the district leaders. this strike started may 20th and look at the details that are nowhere in sight. we are monitoring the talks and will post any developments. well will have more in an hour.

the bay area. the 20-20 presidential hopefuls attending the major convention tomorrow--vowing for your vote. plus: a sunnyvale woman who thought she was getting a free i-phone ends up paying for it. our consumer unit steps in to help. join us tomorrow from 4:30 to 7.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning, everybody i'm al along with craig and sheinelle. dylan is off and it seems like a broken record. >> yeah. >> it's relentless it's worth talking about. >> won't stop. record-breaking rainfall in oklahomama, arkansas, and surrounding states 500 twisters in less than two weeks. last night we had storms from kansas into new jersey, which is crazy. and we have more severe weather in the forecast coming up. >> look at these pictures. >> yeah. >> the story now, al, you correct me if i'm wrong, now that we have seen so many tornados, 14 straight days of tornados touching down in the