"today in the bay." >> a live look at san francisco, out at the golden gate bridge. clouds out there this morning, but don't worry, kari hall says it's going to be a nice one. up next, the "today" show. we'll be back here tomorrow. live with growing pain felt coast to coast. hopeful step. >> we know the mitigation is having a positive effected. >> drastic shift in daily habits of all americans starting to have impact against coronavirus.

yet amidst good news, a harsh reality. death toll still climbing. >> bad news isn't just bad, bad news is actually terrible. >> overnight, new guidelines revealed to get workers back on the job. is that a risky move? we'll ask dr. anthony fauci about that. and this provocative suggestion. >> i don't think we ever should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you. burnout, senator bernie sanders ends his run for the white house. >> if i believe we had a feasible path to the nomination i would certainly continue the campaign, but it's just not there. >> the question now, will his supporters show up for joe biden in november? all that, plus dangerous storms, overnight tornadoes rip across the south, tens of millions at risk for more severe weather today. al has the forecast. linda tripp, the woman who played a key role in the impeachment of president clinton, loses her battle with

cancer. and out of this world. >> and liftoff. >> a nasa astronaut and two russian cosmonauts begin their mission to the international space station, the extra steps they took to stay safe and healthy for the launch. today, thursday, april 9th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody, welcome to "today." it is 7:00 a.m. on the west coast. we're so happy you're joining us on this thursday morning. hello, miss guthrie. >> hello. well, when you're broadcasting a morning show from your basement it's a work in progress. i have a new background. i've gone from drab to fab. what do you think?

we have a lot to cover. we're going to talk with dr. fauci. and we'll talk about that comment, should shaking hands become a thing of the past. we'll ask him about it just ahead. >> but first we'll get you caught up on the very latest. there is positive news on the outbreak, but the number of cases in the united states has risen above 431,000. the death toll, nearly 15,000. air travel hit a record low. fewer than 100,000 were screened tuesday. that's a 95% drop from a year ago. and the smallest number in nearly 70 years. we start with tom costello and the new unemployment numbers. >> reporter: good morning to you. economists warned us numbers would paint a bad picture how the economy is doing and that's exactly what we got.

very troubling. 6.6 million americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. that's worse than expected. and it brings to more than 16 million, close to 17 million the total number of unemployment claims over the last three weeks. those numbers are record breaking and heartbreaking, each one of those represents somebody that lost his or her job. unemployment offices overwhelmed with people seeking help, many unable to file. true number is likely higher. congress has approved unemployment benefits for 39 weeks with an additional $600 per week, but the checks have been slow to roll out. meanwhile, president trump is asking congress for more money for the new paycheck protection program which provides loans to small businesses if they agree to keep employees on staff. >> i'm asking congress to passe' digsal funding for the programming, this week, as soon as possible. i think we have pretty good understanding with the

democrats, hopefully it will be bipartisan. >> reporter: also, this morning the federal reserve is taking unprecedented action, pumping $2.3 trillion into the economy. among its actions, loans for companies up to 10,000 employees, and backing up city and state finances nationwide with a massive lending program. you may recall, states are the ones that paid the unemployment benefits. one recent poll found nearly a third of renters were unable to make their apartment or house rent payment for the first week of this month. guys, back to you. >> tom costello, thank you. savannah, over to you. yeah, hoda, there's some positive news in fight against the outbreak. in a moment, we talk to dr. anthony fauci that social distancing is working and having an effect. there's new guidelines to get some workers back to work. gabe gutierrez has the details.

>> hi, savannah, good morning. the world is beginning to see signs that drastic changes in human behavior are slowing the spread of covid-19. but it has been a simply awful week here in new york where the virus is taking hundreds of lives. every day. this morning new signs from the white house coronavirus task force that social distancing, in an effort to flatten the curve, is working. >> data is telling us that mitigation is working. keep your foot on the accelerator. that's what's going to get us through this. >> reporter: the national death toll may not climb nearly as high as once projected. >> that's what will change the mortality going forward. >> reporter: the news comes as the cdc releases new guidelines. for essential workers previously banned going to work if exposed to someone with the virus. >> for individuals that have been within six feet of a confirmed case, or a suspected case, and so that they can, under certain circumstances,

they can go back to work. if they're asymptomatic. >> even in the nation's epicenter there's encouraging news, hospitalizations, icu admissions and -- leveling off in new york. >> we are flattening the curve because we are rigorous about social distancing. >> reporter: but the news is not all good. the state of new york has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any country in the world. more than 150,000. 779 deaths in just 24 hours. >> psychologically i just see the virus everywhere. it's changed my life, probably forever. >> reporter: essential workers have been devastated. just a week after images like this frustrated many, subway cars packed due to reduced service, at least 41 transit workers have died and more than 1,500 have tested positive. and there are new hot spots, including philadelphia, washington, d.c., detroit, chicago and new orleans, where the convention center retro fitted with a thousand hospital beds is now taking its first

patients. still, amid the heartbreak, triumph. nurses and first responders erupting in cheers as this doctor was released from the hospital in new jersey after spending a month battling covid-19. >> we will get through this. we will fight. we will wake up tomorrow morning again. >> reporter: here in new york and across the country there are fears that warmer weather might lure more people outside but public health officials cannot say it enough, now is not the time to stop social distancing. savannah? >> all right, gabe, thank you very much. and joining us now is dr. anthony fauci, the face of the u.s. response to the virus. he's a long time director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases. dr. fauci, good morning, good to see you again, sir. >> good to be with you. >> over the weekend on one of the sunday shows you were very direct, you said we are still struggling to get this virus under control. is that still the case this morning?

>> yes, it is, i would say because, as you can see, the deaths, the number of deaths and the cases that we're seeing right now are really validating what we said, that this is going to be a very bad week on the one hand. but on the other hand as you can see there are some glimmers of hope, particularly when you look at the situation in new york where the number of hospitalizations, requirements for intensive care over the last few days have stabilized and starting to come down so even though we're seeing that increase in deaths, as we've seen unfortunately, like yesterday, was the worst day for deaths that we've seen thus far. but what feeds that is the number of new cases. and i believe, and many do, that the mitigation, the physical separation that we've initiated, is starting to have a real

effect now. so we are hoping, with cautious optimism, that at the same time we're in for a bad week, we're going to start to see a turnaround. so we need to just hope that that happens. i think it will. >> yeah. is that the flattening of the curve that everybody's so famously talking about in new york, are we seeing the flattening of the curve in this first initial hot spot? >> you know, i don't want to jump the gun on that, savannah, but i think that is the case. you want to see a steady, several day program and profile like that. i think that's what's going on. i'm always very cautious about jumping the gun and saying, well, we have turned the corner. but i think we are really looking at the beginning of that, which would really be very encouraging. we need that right now. >> the initial projections, which took a lot of people's breath away, was potentially 100 to 240,000 deaths in this country. now we have data, not just models, but actual data to plug in and assess. do you think the number of fatalities in this country will be significantly lower than the 100,000 to 240,000 first

projected? >> i do. and i believe that the mitigation, i think the american public have done a really terrific job of just buckling down and doing those physical separation and adhering to those guidelines. as i've told you on the show, models are really only as good as the assumptions that you put into the model. but when you start to see real data you can modify that model and the real data are telling us that it is highly likely that we're having a definite positive effect by this mitigation things separation. so i believe we are going to see a down turn in that, and it looks more like the 60,000 than the 100,000 to 200,000. but having said that we better be careful that we don't say, okay, we're doing so well we could pull back. we still have to put our foot on

the accelerator when it comes to the mitigation and the physical separation. >> you weighed in on a theory that's been floating around that perhaps the number of fatalities related to covid-19 is being inflated because people are actually dying of other things. what's your read on that theory? >> you know, savannah, there is absolutely no evidence that that's the case at all. you know, i think it falls under the category of something that's very unfortunate, these conspiracy theories that we hear about. every time we have a crisis of any sort there's always this popping up of conspiracy theories. i think the deaths that we're seeing are coronavirus deaths and the other deaths are not being counted as coronavirus deaths. >> on the flipside of that, do you think there's a potential that we're undercounting coronavirus deaths? because unfortunately we've seen in new york some people are dying at home, and there has been a persistent lack of testing.

>> that's a good point. i think there's more of a chance of missing some that are really coronavirus deaths that are not being counted but i don't think that number is significant enough to really substantially modify the trends that we're seeing at all. >> okay. let's talk about an antibody test. so i'm not the doctor, you are. but as i understand it this would be a blood test that would tell people if they've ever had coronavirus. important because so many people are showing no symptoms at all, and may not even know that they have it. how close are we to having that blood test, that antibody test? are you confident that we'll be able to test massively, in a widespread fashiwidespread fash people can return to society? >> good questions, savannah. yes, the antibody tests are developed. there are several out there. some are validated to show that they're consistent and others are in the process of being

validated. we are told by the people, the companies that make them, that very soon, when they say soon, they're talking days to weeks, that we'd be able to have a large number of these tests available. and you're right, what they do, they don't tell you whether you are infected. they tell you whether you have been infected. and the answer to that is important because it not only tells you what the penetrance of infection has been in society. there may be people that were infected, asymptomatic and didn't know it. people will have an antibody sensitivity and yet did not get sick. it's likely, we need to prove it, that once you've been infected and you have an antibody profile you are very likely protected against subsequent challenge to the same virus. you may have a cohort of people who are actually protected who have more of a chance to have getting back to the normality of

society. and they will be very important. it's very important to know that regarding health care workers because they are the most vulnerable. and if they're protected they can do their job much better. >> do you envision some scenario in which you attempt to have every american take this antibody test and on that basis they're permitted or not permitted to go back into society? >> you know, something approaching that, savannah. i'm not so sure it's every american. but i think when we get to the surveillance studies, really flooding the society with the availability of the test, i think something akin to what you're saying is possible. >> let's end on a note. i heard you say in an interview, and you've said a couple times that we may never really return to the normal life that we once

had before coronavirus but in particular you said you're not sure we should be shaking hands anymore at all. i like a fist bump as much as the next guy but are you really suggesting handshakes should be a thing of the past in our culture? >> you know, in a perfect world, when you're dealing with the potential for this terrible ordeal that we're going through right now, knowing that hands and hands to face do it, that would be something that i think would hopefully be attainable. but i don't think it will be. i mean, i said that. i said that, you know, somewhat serious, and somewhat realizing that that likely will never happen. what i really wanted to tell people is that when you're talking about getting back to normal we know now that we can get hit by a catastrophic outbreak like this, the whole world can, we've been talking about this, you know, what's your nightmare that keeps you up at night, a new respiratory infection that is easily transmissible and that has the capability of high morbidity and mortality.

here we are. that's what i meant by the world not getting back. we know in realtime it has happened and it can happen again. we really need to be prepared to respond in a much more vigorous way. >> yeah, and i said that was my last question, but really, i'm always reminded of this, all anyone really wants to know from you, dr. fauci, is when are things going to get back to normal? do you think by summer? we'll be able to be out and about again? >> you know, i hope that that's the case, savannah. but the virus and how it responds determines the timetable. we can do things to influence that, and i think we're doing a good job. i hope, and i'm cautiously optimistic, that we're going to start seeing that turnaround and that curve not only flattening but coming down. if that occurs, and we have in place the ability to respond appropriately and effectively, when the virus wants to start to come back, because it's not

going to disappear. it's not going to all of a sudden be eradicated which means that when we attempt to get back to normal we have to have in place the ability, when it starts to try and rear its ugly head, we can absolutely suppress it. by identification, isolation, contact tracing, the kinds of things we've been speaking about. >> dr. fauci, it's always good to be with you. thank you very much, appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> 7:18, hoda, nice to have a few glimmers of hope here. back to you. >> it was encouraging to hear him. all right, savannah, thank you. thousands of grocery store shoppers in atlanta and new orleans got a surprise wednesday. when it was time to check out, shoppers found out all their groceries had been paid for. the person responsible for the remarkable act of kindness,

actor, movie producer tyler perry. he picked up the tab for early morning, senior hours at kroger stores in atlanta, and wynn dixie in new orleans. and this comes after perry gave $21,000 in tips to workers in atlanta and tyler perry has known his share of hardship, has given back like you would expect him to do. >> in a big, big way. i love to hear that. let's check the forecast. >> we have wet weather out west. let's show you what was going on overnight. you have transform ergs blowing. this is harrisburg, arkansas. lot of damage. two reported injuries, hopefully that's about it. meantime, let's move out west,

take a look on the radar now. you'll see some pretty heavy rain and snow make its way through the sierra, heavy rain throughout los angeles, san diego, rounds of rain for southern california, urban flooding and mud slides possible. we're looking for storms. tomorrow drifting south and east. san diego is under the gun for heavy rain. looking at anywhere from two to three inches of rain from l.a. to san diego, mountain snows as well pushing on into the sierra. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds, but first we're going to look at the rest of the country. record highs through florida. look for mountain snows out social distancing doesn't have to make us socially distant, right? i mean, humans need other humans. even if we can't stand closer than six feet, or touch each other. there's still ways to...touch each other. like picking up food, or supplies, or, dropping them off.

after all, cars were invented to bring us closer together. so, carmax is doing everything we can to keep you going. and that's the way it should be. good thursday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we have a cloudy start to the day as we take a live look outside in san jose. we are also going to have a slight chance of rain today with our temperatures that will reach in the upper 60s for the south bay. some low 70s in the north bay where we could see a little more sunshine. as we go into this forecast we will see upper 60s for our inland areas, as well as tomorrow, still a slight rain chance and then it dries out and we will clear out and warm up in time for the weekend. ladies >> all right, al, thank you. coming up, new questions about your safety at grocery stores workers across the country are joining forces to demand better protection for themselves and

their customers. then kate snow takes a look at where things stand when it comes to testing for the coronavirus, how much progress has been made, and the uphill battle still ahead but first, this is "today" on nbc (soft music)

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that's the power of sanctuary. and for a little extra help, receive 0% apr financing and defer your first payment up to 120 days on the purchase of a new lincoln. good morning to you. it's 7:26. i am marcus washington. health county leaders are reporting that gateway care center in hayward is under quarantine after 24 staff and 34 residents tested positive. this is a map of east bay nursing homes that have seen a rise in cases, facilities in arepb duh, and castro hill and others. right now in the bay area, there are 4200 confirmed cases in santa clara alone.

across the bay area there are at least 115 deaths. let's get a look at the forecast for you today. meteorologist, kari hall, how is it looking out there? >> marcus, we are starting out with clouds, but we are also seeing heavy rain across southern california. we are on the edge of that so we will still have a chance of rain as we go through today and the storm will move by. our 7-day forecast keeps a chance of rain in there with peeks of sunshine and temperatures reaching in the upper 60s, and then as we go into easter weekend we will see more sun, warmer temperatures and some of our inland areas will reach into the mid-70s. for san francisco, we are going to dry out as we will also see our temperatures warming up. we are looking at mid-60s as we go into the next several days, so we will overall have a drier trend in our forecast. back to you, marcus. >> thanks, kari. i will have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes.

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and liftoff. on their way to the international space station. >> we're back at 7:30, thursday morning, a brilliant overnight launch that rocket carrying nasa astronaut chris cassidy, two russian cosmonauts who are going to the international space station. i was thinking, hoda, as i watched that, not a bad time to get out of town. but -- >> no kidding. >> on a serious note, extra precautions were taken to protect the crew from the virus. they were kept in school district quarantine for the past month and they're on their way good for them. >> they're used to living in confined spaces. they can teach us a thing or tw

let's say good morning to craig, 7:30 headlines on the about that as well. let's say good morning to craig, 7:30 headlines on the coronavirus, even though there is positive news on the outbreak the number of cases in the united states has risen above 431,000. the death toll now, nearly 15,000. >> broadway theaters will remain closed until at least june 7th, and probably longer. some industry leaders say under the best case scenario they would reopen in early july. and costco is now offering priority access to health care workers and first responders like police officers, firefighters and paramedics. the workers just have to show their costco card and their proper work id and they can go to the front of the line to enter the warehouse, which is a great idea i hope a lot of folks follow suit. a series of platforms on the front lines, this morning there is growing anxiety among a critical group of workers in

this country, more and more grocery store employees are rallying together to demand better protections sam brock is in miami with a look at what's being done about their pleas. sam, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. at least five grocery store workers from chicago to maryland have now died from covid-19. you key the sign behind me, you cannot get into a supermarket unless you're wearing a face covering but many of those on the front lines are pleading with companies to do more for them before it's too late at a time when cities and states are on virtual lockdown, making sure people can get food and other groceries is essential but now increasingly risky. >> i didn't sign up to work in a grocery store to put myself in danger, like that's not what someone signs up, even a doctor or a nurse kind of signs up for taking on this heavier role, caring for the community. >> reporter: but that's the role these vital workers have been thrust into.

making, on average, $29,000 a year for men and $22,000 for women. many, like mary ann leon are scared that not enough is being done to protect them. >> we do have gloves which, you know, are going as fast as they're coming in. but we ran out of hand sanitizer pretty early on. >> reporter: protests popping up this week in boston. demonstrating six feet apart the pleas for help coming after at least five grocery employees have died in recent weeks from the coronavirus. that includes leilanie jordan, a 27-year-old in maryland. and another who worked at a chicago walmart. >> i'm hoping that, of course, that no one else dies who is sick but i didn't think he was that sick. >> evan's family filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the chain. managers failed to alert employees other workers were

sick the two men hadn't been at the store in more than a week. adding in part we took action to reenforce cleaning and sanitizing measures. walmart is right now ramping up protective measures. at some stores you'll find one-way aisles, a growing number of grocers restricting the number of people inside at one time and supplying employees with more ppe, when available, some cities are also becoming increasingly proactive, in l.a. and miami beach you can't enter a grocery store without a face covering supply chain workers are being impacted several meat and poultry plants temporarily suspending operations after employees became sick. many grocery store workers hoping to avoid the same fate. calling upon their employers to take more precautions. >> the hero rhetoric is something that's used to make people feel better, it's empty, especially when there's feasible action that can be taken. >> they definitely need hand sanitizer. they definitely need those

masks. we talked about, sam, some of the things that companies can do is there anything we can do as shoppers to help keep the employees safe >> reporter: hoda, that's a great question in addition to keeping six feet between you and the next person in front of you and making sure you don't go inside if you're not sick which the signs tell you, concerns this morning about ppe, people leaving masks or gloves in shopping carts or in the parking lot. the employees at the end of the day have to pick those things up and the virus can live on those surfaces, hoda, for three days or longer. >> sam brock, thank you. coming up, the search for solutions. the impact and when we can return to normal that story after this. you may not see them, but your itchy eyes know

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staying stay home,es lives. please stay home, stay home, we're gonna have to get creative in here. i really think togetherness is the super power of our species. let's do it together. we will keep each other company. i want you to meditate with me. let's get ready together. coming yoga with me each day could be a different thing. hi, guys. welcome back to another studying video. but first, some rock and roll. aghhhhhhhh! i want you guys to stay home and cook with me. this is the one you want to get. ooohhh! like reading what you guys are up too. and i'm real into it. why not turn on the camera? do it as a group, do it together and make some comfort food, because we all need that right now. you can slow the growth of this and save lives.

we are back with our nbc news wide series on the search for solutions. >> we are back with our n brks krrk news wide series on the search for solutions. >> many experts say the key to stopping the spread of the coronavirus and getting the country out of lockdown and back to work is testing. >> that's right, it's been mentioned quite a bit at those daily briefings by the covid-19 task force it's been a persistent issue but what is the actual status of testing now in america we asked nbc's senior national correspondent kate snow to look into that. what are you finding >> good morning to all of you. there are two kinds of tests we're talking about. one is the test for symptomatic

people that diagnoses coronavirus. the second is a test to look at whether someone has built up antibodies, has had coronavirus and now has antibodies against it neither of those two kinds of tests are widely available enough right now at the white house wednesday more praise for testing. >> we're putting in very heavy testing systems. we have the best testing systems, we're testing more than anybody. >> reporter: while diagnostic testing as ramped up in the last several weeks the u.s. is testing a far smaller percentage of its people than countries with smaller populations, like south korea. right now the test to detect the virus uses a long swab that goes up a patient's nose or down the throat. >> you took half my brain. >> reporter: in hard hit places like new york some wait days for an appointment to be tested and days more for results. there simply aren't enough tests in the world to meet demand. >> everybody needs to do the

exact same test at a very high volume this has never happened before we've never experienced a pandemic on this scale where we need to do this much testing and the manufacturers just didn't have enough product that would make. >> reporter: do they have it now? >> they are getting there. they have more and more each week >> reporter: ucla can now test up to a thousand people a day who are symptomatic and have a doctor's approval. but even in california where the crisis isn't as dire as other parts of the country garner had to call half a dozen companies to get the equipment he needed. >> to run this high number of tests in a day requires a lot of equipment. the first part of the equipment does extraction. it extracts the virus out of the sample if it's there and the second part of the equipment does a test to look specifically to see if covid-19 is in that sample. >> reporter: blood tests to see if someone has fought off covid-19 and has aind antibodies against the disease. a blood test was developed by

stanford medicine personnel. the hope is that will lead to a test for the general population. gavin newsom praised the development as foundational and fundamental but it's unclear how soon the tests will be widespread. >> we don't know the answer whether having the antibodies means you're protected against having the infection again or if you get the infection again, will you have symptoms or no symptoms could you then become infectious to other people? >> reporter: do you believe that we need to have a way to test people before everyone goes back to work? >> i actually think that's the only way people are going to be able to not only go back to work but sort of restart society. i think that it's really this combination of everybody who has symptoms needs to be tested for acute disease. and then everybody needs to be

tested by the blood test, by the antibody test to see who is actually immune. >> reporter: a word of caution about those antibody tests, you may have seen some advertised online in recent days. the fda is cautioning that some companies are falsely claiming that those antibody blood tests are approved or fda authorized and that's just not the case guys. >> all right, kate, it's good to see you and of course this has really hit home for you. i know your husband has the virus. how is chris doing how are you doing, and the kids? >> yeah, thanks, savannah, he's downstairs below me in the basement secluded, still sleeping this morning. he's been improving each day we're on day seven right now and i have to say, he's still pretty sick. this is a really tough thing and he has not been tested yet we have a three-day wait from now until he can even get a test, and then he'll have to wait three or four days for results here in new york.

>> all right, well, kate, we are thinking of you. it's incredible that you are still working and, you know, filing a great story like that when you're dealing with this at home so our double appreciation today. thank you. >> thank you, savannah, thanks for all the thoughts. >> yeah. well, we got a check in with al who's watching the weather this morning what do you got, al? i heard you said there might be a storm on the horizon >> well, there could be, but we want to give you a little good news, like spring getting here by when you look outside, depending on where you live you may be seeing some spring leaves, a lot earlier, than most people throughout the southeast into the mid-atlantic states and the northeast, the leaves are out three to four weeks early so that's pretty good news. but we're going to see a return to a little -- almost late winter temperature situation for minneapolis today to chicago, cleveland, to oklahoma city. temperatures 25 to 35 degrees

colder than usual. friday we're going to watch those temperatures continue to move east and plummet anywhere from 4 to 15 degrees below average from memphis, atlanta, on into boston and back into milwaukee. but into next week we'll start to see temperatures on the rebound. cleveland by sunday 64, new york city 64. nashville will see a high of 68 on easter sunday that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your good morning, i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are going to have another really nice day but we are starting out with clouds as we take live look outside in san francisco. we are going to see the clouds with us today because of a storm system just to our south. we will also have a slight chance of rain for areas south of san francisco. our 7-day forecast shows we will see a mix of sun and clouds today, a chance of showers, highs in the upper 60s and the inland areas will reach into the mid-70s over the next few days. and that is your latest

and that is your latest weather. hoda, craig? >> all right, al thank you. just ahead, we are going to chat with timothy cardinal dolan. >> we always enjoy this. he's going to join us live this morning with advice for sustaining your faith. when this year's easter and passover celebrations look and -- and really feel so different. but first, these messages. used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take,

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still ahead on this thursday morning the key to happiness. >> a lot of people are searching for these keys a yale professor has gained 1 million followers in recent weeks. guess what, she's joining us with five tips to boost our moods. can't wait for that. and then we watch, we were so nervous when carson was cutting his own hair he's going to reveal the finished product

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good thursday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. right now at 7:56, as we take a live look outside we are seeing a lot of clouds over the south bay and maybe light rain. that's what we can expect as we go through the rest of today as we still track a storm system close to the bay area but having a big impact on the central coast and parts of southern california. was we get some of the outer edges of the storm system coming in we will have a slight chance of rain today, other than that expect temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s go into the weekend as we get more sunshine. easter weekend is looking beautiful. we will see the weather continuing into next week. with san francisco's highs in the low 60s, we will also see a warmup in the mid to upper 60s as we go into the weekend and early next week. let's head over to mike now

for a look at the commute. yeah, to the south of the summit, we are looking at 17 where we have a crash that might be blocking one lane. also the bear creek road off-ramp, there's boulders there, so watch for traffic control if they have to clear that. the rest of the bay looks good on this shot, and moving to the north instead of the south, and 101 coming down past the robin williams tunnel, and on the south side another crash. 6 million people filed for unemployment last week, making it 17 million over three weeks. 2 million are californians. we have a link to the details on our home page. and fremont will expand testing to two of the free testing clinics on liberty street, you don't have to have a

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♪ it is 8:00 on "today". coming up, signs of progress the white house task force n it is 8:00 on "today," coming up, signs of progress, the white house task force now saying that social distancing is having an impact. >> keep your foot on the accelerator, that's what's going to get us through this. >> but saying it is still far from over. live with the three things you need to know this morning. plus, finding faith and happiness as millions are celebrating holy week. timothy cardinal dolan will join us with new ways to come together while staying apart. the professor behind -- tips -- yale's most popular class we share some tips to boost happiness. the daily do, carson cutting his own hair live, with a little

help from his son jack. >> looks pretty good, actually. >> how did it go we'll she you. today, thursday april 9th, 2020. good morning, guys, it's thursday, a lot of you are starting your day, you just woke up, having your cup of coffee. savannah is working from home, craig is in studio 1a and carson yet to be revealed, savannah. >> i cannot wait to see how that all shook out, seems like there was a lot of hair on the floor before that little experiment was over we'll check in with carson in a bit. we've got some great, positive news a little bit later. let's start with what's going on in the coronavirus situation craig, what do you got >> let's start with encouraging news on this thursday morning. there are new signs that social

distancing in an effort to flatten the curve is working top health officials with the white house coronavirus task force say the death toll in the u.s. may not climb nearly as high as once projected here's what dr. anthony fauci told savannah a short time ago here on "today." >> the american public have done a terrific job of just buckling down and doing those physical separation and adhering to those guidelines as i've told you on the show, models are really only as good as the assumptions that you put into the model but when you start to see real data you can modify that model and the real data are telling us that it is highly likely that we're having a definite positive effect. >> perhaps some positive news there. here's the second thing we're guidelines for essential workers that were previously banned from going back to work if they'd been exposed to someone with the virus. those individuals, under certain circumstances, will be able to go back to work if -- if they

are asymptomatic here's the third thing we're watching the strategic national stockpile of protective equipment, like masks, face shields, gowns is nearly gone. the department of health and human services confirmed that about 90% of that protective gear for front line medical workers has been distributed one final note this morning, a senior administration official tells nbc news that president trump is planning to unveil a second task force now, this task force will be focused on the administration's response to the economy. savannah >> all right, craig. and there is another major story we're following that massive field of democratic presidential contenders is now down to just one this morning, joe biden, the presumptive nominee after senator bernie sanders dropped

out of the race. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker is on that story this morning, kristen, morning. >> hi, savannah. good morning to you. it looks like the general election rates is now set, president trump versus joe biden after a hard fought primary the former vice president is now the apparent democratic nominee. bernie sanders suspending his campaign and overnight urging democrats to come together. >> while this campaign is coming to an end our movement is not. >> reporter: senator bernie sanders bowing out of the 2020 presidential race. >> and i just want to take this opportunity to thank the many hundreds of thousands of grassroots activists it's been an absolute joy and a privilege to represent those folks. >> reporter: sanders telling stephen colbert overnight it's time for democrats to unite, urging joe biden to reach out to his progressive supporters. >> in order to defeat trump he's going to have to bring new people into his political world and then he's going to have to listen to their needs. young people, working people. >> reporter: the vermont senator vowing to keep fighting for his

signature issues, hoping to inject his progressive ideas, like medicare for all and free n him in championing a progressive vision for our college into the party platform. >> then together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat donald trump, the most dangerous president -- >> reporter: biden now the last person standing in what began as a sprawling field of two dozen contenders praising sanders while extending an olive branch to his base. >> he's inspired and energized millions of supporters, especially young voters, to join him in championing a progressive vision for our country. >> reporter: now all eyes are on biden's former boss, barack obama, he is expected to endorse biden. but when so far mr. obama has stayed on the sidelines, not wanting to shake up the primary race. watching it all closely, president trump, who sharpened his attacks wednesday against the person he'll face in november. >> it does amaze me that president obama hasn't supported sleepy joe it hasn't happened when's it going to happen?

>> reporter: now, of course, because of the coronavirus, this next phase of the campaign is going to be anything but normal. so expect virtual endorsements, video town halls and it's not clear what is going to happen with the conventions all as this pandemic looms large over just about everything craig? >> kristen welker in washington, thank you. linda tripp, a key figure in the impeachment of president bill clinton died wednesday from cancer she was 70 years old she became friends with monica lewinsky when lewinsky revealed she was having a sexual relationship with clinton tripp recorded her. she gave the audiotapes to ken starr. clinton was acquitted in the senate. we got the news covered, how about a double dose of your morning boost?

a dutch radio host who had to cancel his caribbean vacation said home lockdown was getting under his skin, so he took off on a flight of fancy. ready to >> the captain is speaking just about ready to depart >> he decided to recreate a travel experience, first class, got a drink, got a passport, put the tray table down. he's in st. martin, apparently actually, carson sent me this video. he said you've got to do it as a boost. he was right. >> it's so good and the enya i've been listening to that myself, i find it to be quite relaxing, hoda, i recommend it. >> love it. here's another one for you, a california woman working from home decided to watch a new training video from her office she's watching it. and then suddenly her boyfriend pops up on the screen, followed

by a string of friends and family members all wishing them with and finally he admits to her, it's all a clever ploy. >> wipe away all the tears, and meet me out back. gosh. >> how, how is it going? >> oh, it's been going i would have picked a different dress if i knew. >> oh! >> well, all of the loved ones you see in the background, yes, they're waiting a safe distance but there is her sweetie standing inside a heart made of roses down on one knee isn't that beautif >> oh, gosh. oh, it's gone, it's been gone. i would have picked a different dress if i knew. >> oh, well, all the loved ones you see there in the background. they're waiting at a safe distance but there's her sweetie, standing inside a heart of roses down on one knee isn't that beautiful >> wow. >> yes, it was, that was perfect. >> well done and it's a high degree of difficulty in this day and age to be able to do a really good surprise engagement. good for him congratulations to them. coming up next, you guys, we are going to have one of our favorites, timothy cardinal

dolan offering comforting words during this holy week, for everyone celebrating not as they wish but celebrating nonetheless. ♪ to all those on the front lines caring for our sick. stocking our shelves. bringing us packages. delivering our food. those who are there when we need them. and the millions of americans doing their part, just by staying home. our communities are beyond grateful. at citi, we are too. even if we're apart,

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for free help visit cdc.gov/tips we're back with our we're back with our finding faith series it is, of course, holy week, the most important days on the christian calendar, passover under way as well. and under normal circumstances, families would be coming together this weekend to celebrate. but this year many are trying to figure out how to do that while being apart. so we asked the archbishop of new york cardinal dolan to be with us this morning it's always good to see your face. >> how are you, savannah, i can't see you without thinking of happier times when we were together in rome. >> i know. i was just reminiscing about the same thing i was thinking we love it when cardinal dolan comes to our set because we're always having lots of hugs and you always drink the eggnog over the holidays you know, it just actually brings up the whole thing. it's just, whether you're a person or faith or not, easter,

passover, these are times when we want to and expect and like to be with our families and we're not. what's your word of comfort to folks right now? >> well, look, savannah, you're onto something there's no use denying that it's going to be a tough easter and passover for us. because you're right this is the time of family get togethers this is the time of dinners together, this is the time of easter egg hunts in the back this is the time where families together go to church and synagogue and darnit, we're going to miss that, there's no use denying that okay, i'm going to miss it and in a real way, savannah, i think this might be an invitation to all, and i'm getting hints that people are doing this, to rediscover the genuine mystery and message of what passover and easter are all about. let me try to explain that see, most of the time, savannah, when we celebrate passover or when we christians celebrate

easter we're kind of remembering something that happened long ago. well, that isn't bad it's good to do that, to remember the exodus. to remember our lord's suffering death and resurrection remembering that isn't bad but for both of us as jews and christians, the celebrations of our holy days, passover, easterer, are a lot more than remembering because we actually relive them. the lord asks us to enter into those mysteries, and to be absorbed by them and to make them part of our lives, which he intends them to be now, savannah, you tell me if against the backdrop of what we're going through with the coronavirus, with the fear, with the isolation, with the loneliness, with missing family

and friends that you and i just chatted about, this is a time of darkness yup, this is a time of death so just as -- so we not only remember what the lord did at passover and what he did at easter, we relive it and appropriate it into our own lives, see, because for us we need god now to do what he did for his chosen people, to bring us out of darkness and discouragement to the light of the promised land. we need god the father to do for us what he did for his only begotten son, our lord and savior, jesus christ, bringing him from the darkness and death of evil of good friday afternoon to the new life and hope of the resurrection this is a time, i think, when we can really not only remember, but relive and make our own the message and mystery of passover and easter does that make any sense is that too cerebral >> it does it really speaks to me sometimes it can seem, some of these holidays, and particularly, you know easter, you think about that time of darkness well now here we are in a time

where we cry out for rebirth and we cry out for saving. >> yeah. >> this particular message of this holiday is. >> you bet how many people with jesus on the cross are saying as he did to his father, my god, my god, why have you forsaken me okay, is that not going to be powerful when our -- when we -- when we read that, when people read that from the bible on their own or when they live stream, into the sacred liturgies, is that not going to be powerful when they hear that, my, oh my, jesus was saying what i'm feeling these days. >> you know, i'm glad -- i agree. i was also reflecting about what it means to be part of a church. you know, so many churches, i know you're doing this as well, they're working to hard to still

have some kind of service online that their parishioners can watch. i was reflecting about how, you know, a church is not a physical place. you know, it's where two or more are gathered. >> got it. >> in god's name and i really -- i'm hoping, and i wonder what you think about it, that in some ways we could feel more connected to our fellow parishioners, and our people who share our faith, whether they're in our church, or around the world. >> you're making a lot of sense, savannah thanks for bringing that up. i know for us as catholics the mass is never private. when we're in church we're with god the father, son and holy spirit we're with what we call the communion of saints. we're united with one another, even if they're not physically present. this is a chance to renew that but there is a growing sense of connection, not only that we miss them, so so many people are saying do i ever find this refreshing, i'm eager to get back to sunday mass, i'm eager to get back to the sacraments, they're not only missing something, and they feel that absence, but they're wondering, i need to get reconnected as well

so many people are saying, are you hearing it, savannah, look, these have been troubling days but i've rediscovered a strength deep down in talents and virtues and gifts i didn't know i had, i'm rediscovering a strength deep down with family and friends whom i miss intently and i have to admit i'm rediscovering a faith deep down that has gone a bit dormant and has really come through in this time of need that's resurrection. >> absolutely. and i say amen you know, in my church, cardinal dolan, we used to give each other a hug or a handshake and say grace and peace to you every sunday, so i say it to you. >> you know where i live if you want to drop off a dozen peanut butter chocolate easter eggs, savannah. >> i love that, you're pro-chocolate easter egg i like that about you. >> blessed passover and easter, everybody. >> thank you. we'll send it to al for a check of the weather hey, al.

>> always feel better after we talk with cardinal dolan let's look at what's going on, weatherwise for you today we are expecting to see some strong storms making their way through the mid-atlantic and the southeast and then another line comes into the northeast later today. that will bring some damaging winds, thankfully not much of a hail threat but 39 million folks through the southern plains, hail two inches or larger, damaging winds and a few tornadoes possible record highs expected today, through florida, much colder making its way through the central plains and into the northern plains and the upper mississippi river valley when lake-effect snow moving in. northern new england may see upwards of a foot and a half of snow and look for rain and mountain snows through the rockies and along the california and pacific northwest coast. that's what's going on aro >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. well, as we start out, we're seeing a lot of clouds as we take a live look outside in walnut creek.

we'll also have a slight chance of rain today because of this storm system that we are seeing across parts of the central coast and southern california. and we are going to also have a slight chance of some light rain today. in the rest of the forecast, we'll dry out and warm up. looking at mid70s going into the weekend and next week and warming up in san francisco. and that's your latest weather. and that's your latest weather. hoda >> all right, al, thank you. now, to our nbc news wide series lives well lived. we've lost so many remarkable people to the coronavirus. but one thing we don't want to lose, their stories. kate snow is back to share some of those with us. >> hoda, every morning we tell the numbers of people that we've lost and every single one of those numbers is a human being with a family and friends. so this morning here are a few families that i've been lucky enough to talk with. >> mary lou armor wanted so badly to work with the police

she started volunteering in high school, became a patrol officer and a detective in santa rosa, california, specializing in domestic violence. >> she tried her best to be caring and sympathetic and help these families, these children. >> her sister mary says she contracted coronavirus while doing that important work. >> this is a hard question, but what do you miss the most? >> i'm going to miss her voice i'm going to miss her calling us every time, wishing me a happy birthday, wishing my kids a happy birthday. >> kious kelly, asthma kept him from outdoor sports but couldn't stop him from dancing. >> i remember walking through the grocery store, and he would dance. and i was so embarrassed i was like, will you please stop

>> he moved to new york city and danced with several companies but then changed careers entirely, becoming a nurse, who cared deeply. >> i remember being a brand new nurse -- >> she'll tell her kids about the time he gave a homeless patient his coat. >> you hear the saying, give the shirt off your back, he actuall >> dj, did. that's the story, he lived it. >> dj, one of the hottest deejays in new orleans. hone th artist would come out with and remix it to our own culture. >> that wasn't his identity. his real name was oliver stokes. >> he would take a phone that a artist would come out with and remix it to our own culture. >> that wasn't his identity. his real name was oliver stokes. >> i married oliver stokes jr. he was my best friend. no other love i can imagine because he was the one, there's no one that

no one that comes close. >> romain came to the u.s. from trinidad, was a hair stylist and then became the principal of brooklyn democracy academy the kind of principal who'd put on a fashion show, or buy a prom dress for a student. >> the immigrant experience st >> like a mother, a sister. >> on graduation day she inspired her to become an advocate for students of caribbean background, particularly those are that undocumented, those that are low income because we were those students. >> like a mother, a sister. >> on graduation day she helped judith adjust her gown. >> it was really an honor to be a student. student. rest rest in peace. >> douglas lynn hickok loved the outdoors, earning his eagles scout award at 16, became a physician's assistant and joined the national guard at 47. >> he had recently passed his army fitness test in the fall,

army fitness test in the you know, 57 and he's passing it and so we were so proud of him. >> his sister mary says he loved his country and his family. >> every week we had a tradition as a family to spend time together we'd turn off the phone and we would have family activities doug always made it fun. >> it's good advice for other families right now to appreciate those moments. >> yeah. family is all that matters and love and the last words we said to my brother was that we loved him and we always would. and -- and that we would be okay. >> remember your families, right now. one more loss i do want to mention, because "today" show viewers are going to remember

this family. remember in 2016, wanda dench accidentally invited a teenager to thanksgiving dinner, she texted him along with her family they became friends. jamal henson accepted the invitation the other day jamal posted that wanda and lonnie were both sick with coronavirus and we found out that lonnie passed away on sunday. jamal wrote on twitter, wanda told me all the love and support he was receiving put a huge smile on lonnie's face so, guys, hoda and craig, we are thinking of that family as well this morning. >> yes, we are. >> we certainly are, i saw lonnie was trending number one on twitter and i looked and i was reading all the comments and the outpouring of love and i've got to say, kate, you doing the story is so important because you're right, at the beginning of every show we talk numbers and we say how many, and all -- you just talked about a handful of people. >> i know. i wish -- and we had so many other stories we could tell. you know, hoda, it's like i wish we could tell hundreds of stories every morning. >> we're going to continue to tell the stories of those lives

that are well lived. kate, thank you. >> thank you, kate. and we'll be back after your local news good morning to you. 8:26. i'm marcus washington. alameda county health leaders are reporting a surge in patients and staff testing positive at senior care centers. gateway care and rehab in hayward is under quarantine after six people there died. health officials confirming 24 staff and 35 residents tested positive. this is a map of east bay nursing homes that have seen a rise in cases. the facilities in orinda, castro valley, pleasant hill and haywards have confirmed cases. here's the latest bay areawide. there are nearly 1400 in santa clara alone and across the bay area at least 115 deaths. let's get a look at the

forecast for you. kari hall has been tracking that. >> and, marcus, we started out with some clouds this morning as we take a live look outside over san jose. we're going to see some peaks of sunshine for this afternoon. and there still will be a slight chance of showers moving in as the storm system remains very close to the bay area. going into the forecast, we'll see some upper 60s today. and then we're looking at low to mid-70s going into the weekend as that sunshine comes in, we're going to have a nice easter weekend. back to you. >> thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update coming up for you in 30 minutes.

at cigna, we don't just stand with healthcare professionals in this time of crisis we run with them, toward those in need. we are 7,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists supporting their efforts on the ground and virtually. and just as we are by their side, we're by yours, too. with answers to your most pressing questions and expert advice at cigna.com/covid19 eveso we can stillg a answer your calls. now. and expert advice and we are monitoring our system 24/7 to ensure that we have a fast reliable network,

keep the customers connected, and making sure people are staying safe. and we're still on the road. solving critical issues as they arise. ♪ go to xfinity.com/prepare. thank you.

>> and anna kendrick. the tonight show, at home edition, tonight. it's 8:30 now, it's thursday morning, it's the 9th of april 2020, guys we have a busy half hour ahead. stephanie ruhle is he it's 8:30 now, it's thursday morning, it's the 9th of april 2020, guys we have a busy half hour ahead stephanie ruhle is here, she's going to break down this morning's new unemployment numbers and she's going to answer your questions. you've got a lot of them including how people who might be wanting to buy or sell their

home at this time are being impacted what should they do? >> and then we're going to learn five daily tricks to boost your happiness from this woman right here, the professor from yale, pretty much wrote the book on it she'll talk to us after this. also ahead this morning on pop start, we've got some interesting and important news about this new look, really new look for julia louis-dreyfus. >> we'll find out what that was about. speaking of, carson is coming back and he will share the results of that haircut that we saw live we all remember that carson. >> come on. >> oh, we're going to be in suspense a few more moments, i guess. i think it's another moana towel or something. >> mr. roker, give us a check of the weather, hon. >> let's look ahead to your 're windy conditions in the northeast from the great lakes all the way down to texas. we've got weekend and see what we've got in store starting with tomorrow, we're going to look at very

windy conditions in the northeast from the great lakes all the way down to texas. we've got sunshine, although strong storms in southern texas and a mild northwest as we look for saturday, april chill up and down the eastern seaboard, heavy snow through the northern plains, severe storms in texas and severe threat for 35 millio very closely. rest of the country a beautiful day but cooler in the northeast and new england and snow and wind in the central people we're going to be watching this very closely rest of the country a beautiful day but cooler in the northeast and new england and snow and wind in the central plains, mostly sunny >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a live look outside in san francisco, we are starting out with some clouds, and we will see some peaks of sunshine today. we still have this big storm system that's parked over southern california. and so we will have a slight chance of rain as we're on the northern edge of this storm system. so expect the chance of some passing showers. upper 60s today in our inland areas. it will be drying out, warming up. we're looking at mid to upper 70s going into easter weekend.

that's your savannah. just ahead, unemployment claims hit another shocking milestone. we're going to talk to stephanie ruhle just ahead about the numbers that just came out she's also going to answer your questions and you've got a lot of them. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

we're back with our series with you we're back with our series with you today, and the mounting economic toll of the coronavirus. here in the u.s. brand new numbers just released by the labor department today show 6.6 million people filed unemployment claims last week. that adds up to 10% of the u.s. workforce now out of a job nbc's senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle joins us with this stephanie, these numbers, what's your take on what you saw? more or less than what you expected >> the numbers are huge, savannah, but they're not a

expected? >> the numbers are huge, savannah, but they're not a surprise. just think about it, we're now weeks and weeks into surprise just think about it, we're now weeks and weeks into this. the united states has shut off the economy. the government said we all need to stay home so it's not a surprise to see the numbers go up this much what i would say is a surprise is that we keep hearing the economy is going to snap right back when we go back to work when you see this many people filing for unemployment, this many businesses shutting down this is not a snow day, we're not going to say, all right, a week from now, let's head back out there. when you see this many people now out of the workforce getting unemployment insurance it's going to be a slow process to get them back in. >> yeah, and we talk about that unemployment, those claims and the numbers we're just seeing but also, you've been talking about this for weeks now, a lot of the systems have been down, it's hard to even file for unemployment so could we see

these numbers even go higher >> absolutely. and i know this is frustrating, and devastating for a lot of people across the country people cannot get on the websites, they can't get their claims in so without a doubt there are thousands, possibly millions of people still frustrated because they can't get unemployment insurance yet but they should know this. states across the board are stepping up. many states are offering unemployment retro actively. say you've been trying for a few weeks or you applied and you weren't eligible a few weeks ago because you were self-employed when they changed the rules in the cares act, you are now eligible and when you finally get through, i hope you get through today, most likely it will be retro active please keep trying you are owed that money. the government wants to help you. >> that is good news let's turn to some of the questions people have sent in, this is our collaboration with facebook here's a question from a viewer margaret on instagram, let's roll it.

>> good morning. i had a baby this year how is the government accounting for stimulus payments for children born in 2020? >> steph >> so first we would absolutely want to congratulate margaret. we're thrilled she had a baby. unfortunately for this particular stimulus check, we're talking about the $1200 people will be getting who make $75,000 or less it won't apply to people who had a baby this year however, next year when she files her taxes she will get that child tax credit for $500 i know it's frustrating and it's unfair but just factor in, they are doing so much. we have over 300 million people in this country and the government is trying to figure this out i'm sure it wasn't designed this way. but the best way for them to get this money to the most amount of people is to use the tax filing system so you've got to use 2019. >> okay. ilene on facebook asked us, is the stimulus check an advance on next year's refund what happens if you owe money next year, do you have to pay

back the $1,200 you received >> absolutely not, not now, not ever this $1,200, consider this income replacement it's not a bonus so you shouldn't go out there and do online shopping this is for necessities. you will not have to pay it back the government realizes that you are suddenly put in a crisis situation, so when you get that money, spend it on what you need but i promise, you don't have to pay it back. >> okay. monica on instagram asks, what is the housing market going to look like after the coronavirus? >> listen, that's a really tough one to predict obviously right now so many people are staying home but because interest rates are so low we're seeing a huge surge in people who are looking to refinance, possibly get lower mortgage rates but as far as online open houses are going, we're seeing a very big surge there. so for people who were already in the market we are seeing, in this stressed time, some prices go down in certain areas and now you have more options to look at homes online but as far as what is this going

to look like on the other side savannah, we just don't know yet. >> okay. and let's get to maxine on facebook she sent in a question. >> why don't the credit card companies lower their rates? people are going to be using their cards more because many people are finding themselves unemployed with rates so high, though, they're going to be digging deeper financial problems for themselves. >> seems like a good point, stephanie. >> i hear you, maxine. remember it's a great question, but, remember, the government doesn't control these credit card companies. the fdic has urged so many of them to work with their customers and they are so without a doubt pick up the phone, call your specific credit card company our advice would be, call the company you have the longest relationship with, that you probably have been paying on time the most with, and see if you can renegotiate. it's going to be on a case by case basis, but i can tell you across the board, jp morgan, citi, bank of america, td, they are offering relief packages,

many are trying to help their customers but there's not a federal mandate. the federal government doesn't control the credit card industry. >> okay. well, stephanie, thank you so much appreciate it. coming up next, a little pick me up yale's professor of happiness, yes, that is a real thing. and she's going to tell us the five things we can all do today to elevate our mood. plus, we'll share what's keeping all of us happy. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back, if you're having a tough time welcome back, if you're having a tough time staying positive lately you're not alone. but there are some scientific tools that can improve your mood and make you feel even a little happier every day. laurie santos is a psychology professor at yale university she created the most popular course in yale's history, it's on happiness and she's also behind the happiness lab podcast, teaches an online cast, the science of well being, more than a million

people have enrolled in just the past few weeks laurie, good morning. >> thanks for having me on the show. >> i've got to tell you we need you right now and i was riding into work this morning and listening to your happiness podcast and i started feeling better i got to thinking, like, there are -- there are times when we need to alter our mood but there are also real world things out there. we talked about unemployment numbers, people battling with not having work and wondering about paying bills how can we elevate our mood when these things are happening around us? >> i think this is critical. we need to validate the fact that this is an awful and incredibly stressful time. as science gives us things to do to fight the virus, you can wash your hands and so on, there are other things we can do to take care of our mood, even in a scary time like this. >> we'll get to those five tips. is happiness a dna thing, certain people who are happy and certain people who aren't.

>> there is a heritable component, some people have it easier than others all of us can take action to feel better in general and especially during a crisis time like this. >> let's get to it five things you're going to tell us to help and one of them is a physical thing we're going to do right now, it's just basically deep breathing, right? >> yeah, basically what we're going to do is we're going to try to deactivate our sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight mode, making our chests feel tight and making us feel anxious taking a deep belly breath, breathing in and then slowly out, especially deep breathing in, deeply to our belly, breathing in and out that simple action is activating your vagas nerve, turns on the rest and digest. and even just a second of doing that you can feel your chest opening up a bit it's silly but add those in, set a little timer to do that throughout the day. >> let's go through these. the next, you say, is doing an act of kindness, help somebody

out. >> yeah. this is critical, when we get stressed we think self-care, focus on ourselves, but the research suggests if we want to be happy we need to be other oriented call that elderly neighbor, donate that $3 you're saving on morning coffee by donating to a local business. >> we have to admit when we're hunkered down at home the tendency is to eat whatever's around, makes you feel good, comfort food, junk food. you say, no, stay away from that stuff. >> yeah, i think this is a time when we really need to hunker down on the kinds of things we can control. we can't control this virus but we can actively take efforts to control what we're putting into our body how we're reflecting, what our mind-set is saying about these things there's so much we can take

action on ourselves and we need to remember that right now. >> and eating healthy is one of those things you say is critical during this time. >> i think getting back to the basics is really super critical. make sure you're getting in that morning cardio, make sure you're sleeping well, eating healthy. those things seem simple and they have a great effect on our physical health, immune function, and they help our mood and help our mental health more than we expect. >> and finally, gratitude. man, that's a biggy. >> it's hard right now because there's so many things to complain about but the research suggests we can help our mood and our resilience if we take a little time to focus on the blessings. it might not seem like there's a lot to be grateful for but there are, all of us who are healthy right now should savor the moment it's not guaranteed. the simple little things like finding the tea you love in your pantry, those are the things you want to notice and that's the thing that helps you get through the crisis. >> laurie, thank you we all have little things that make us happy. savannah, do you have something that makes you happy, cheers you up >> yes, i mean, i'm very grateful, the big thing is my kids, my family, my husband and us all getting to be together, that's number one.

i've been trying to do yoga every day, which has been more about breathing for me than anything else. i'm right there with the professor. that's me trying to do a move i could do a long time ago i'm working on it. >> i like that one craig, what about for you? >> for us, at home these days, my wife has started this thing every morning before she starts to teach the kids where she introduces a joke. and it's a kid friendly joke every day. this one was why do basketball players love donuts? the answer is, don't know if we're going to reveal the answer, it's because they like to dunk. >> i like it. >> but the kids eat it up. they roll around laughing. that's making us pretty happy. >> how about you, al >> well, i would say our family, getting the family together. we're missing lela away at school but -- and courtney's, you know, quarantined, kind of self-isolating in new jersey but those five folks are my

posse. i just can't do without them. >> that's awesome. >> what about you? >> me, you know, i just like laughter, when the kids laugh. i took haley out, we went out, me, haley and hope went out and she was just laughing. i don't even know what we were doing, but the fact that she was laughing made me so happy and i just kept replaying it and i thought, you know, when your kids give out a good -- a good giggle it does the trick i want to thank laurie for that. just ahead, some other things that will make you happy. we're going to explain why julia louis-dreyfus is looking like the joker these days and then carson will join us to reveal the results of his diy haircut that jack contributed to it's underneath that towel we'll show you but first this is "today" on nbc. there are times when our need to connect really matters. to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving. comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed,

reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together. that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. until i found out what itst it actually was.ed me. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no matter where dust bunnies hide. no more heebie jeebies. phew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering. whaso let's do the rightver chanthing, today.ow. let's stay at home. let's wash up. let's always keep our distance - please, six feet apart at least.

let's look after ourselves, as well as others. it will all be worth it. we can all do our part. so those on the front line can do their part. and when this is over, we will all, continue, to thrive. welcome back, everybody, guys, it is time for pop start.

>> all right, first up, prince william, duchess kate, even though the royal couple is unable to carry out normal engagements because of the coronavirus they were able to surprise school children via video call, these students all kids of essential personnel, including health care workers. so their teachers and some volunteers are looking after them while their parents are on the front lines. take a listen. >> you're holding up pictures of your mommies and daddies. >> this is a picture of my mom and she works for the nhs. >> it's a great picture. >> excellent. >> well done. >> well done, it's brilliant. >> we want to say a huge thank you to you guys and well done. please pass on many messages to all the staff and volunteers doing a great job. >> hats off to those amazing teachers and volunteers helping out those kids. >> bunnies ears off. julia louis-dreyfus, obviously whenever we see her on

but there's this new psa out, the "veep" star handled the makeup herself, shall we say, to questionable results. >> oh, hi, there it's me. your the red carpet she's glamorous, she's picture perfect thanks to that hair and makeup team she has. but there's this new psa out, the "veep" star handled the makeup herself, shall we say, to questionable results. >> oh, hi, there it's me. your friend julia louis-dreyfus. you know, normally when i do a psa like this, i have a hair and makeup team, a professional glam team who come and help me with my look. but today they're staying at home they're staying safe and that's what i would like to ask you to do. >> perfect thank you. >> she's like all of us in the morning trying to put on our hair and makeup. >> pretty much what hoda and i are doing every morning? >> yes, indeed. >> more is more, like the '80s. speaking of glam squad, carson, he's a one-man glam squad. he's been trending on twitter. when he joined us yesterday gave himself a quarantine haircut on

live television. now he was guided over the phone by chris appleton. but due to technical difficulties we lost chris's live shot. so he had to talk carson through it over the phone. well, you can see we were on the edge of our seats here we weren't sure what would happen we ran out of time carson promised a photo with final haircut. without further ado -- here it is. >> no. >> he's bald and he is beautiful. >> really? >> carson, did you really do that >> wow. >> everybody's very, very curious to know what happened here this is a very bittersweet moment for me. as soon as we got off the air, it ended so fast, my 11-year-old son jackson here, goes, dad, people are going to want to know the end result we should post a photo and so we posted a photo but let's just go ahead and do the reveal now and then i'll

finish the story ready? here we go. >> all right, oh -- >> hey. >> looks great. >> you didn't let me down. >> i was worried about your name was -- >> when you posted that picture, i was like, okay, i mean, i've seen some diy haircuts right now, and there's interesting ones this was my end result i was going to give you guys a few tips as well you looked great it's in the flicking action, right carson >> i kept it to the sides and the back and i left it longer on top. my 11-year-old was the one who said dad people want to know what it look like. it would be funny if you posted a picture of you bald. i said that's a great idea you found an app we doctored up the picture siri is like, that's terrible. no one's going to believe that we posted. everybody in my life i've been on tv -- >> everyone was like, oh -- >> everybody thought it was real.

>> i did. >> i called carson, as soon as i saw it. >> my home phone hasn't running rsh rung in six years and it rang, it was uncle al and he's like, did you do it? because of uncle al and i have lots of bald friends, i feel like i've let them down now. bald is beautiful. i'm willing to do it i'll do it but chris, thank you for -- >> no, seriously, you killed it. diy haircuts, hopefully you guys picked up a few tricks and hints. i posted a full video. good morning to you. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. one of the highest profile detainees at santa rita jail may be on the verge of guesting released. ghost ship fire warehouse defendant is awaiting retrial after they couldn't reach a verdict the first time around. there's word this week 11 inmates at the jail are now infected with coronavirus. the sheriff's office says that if almena is released, he will

wear an ankle monitor. and new for you this morning, weekly jobless claims show 6.6 million americans filed for first-time benefits on top of the newly revised 14 million americans filing over the prior two weeks. now two numbers -- those numbers should include more than 2 million californians. happening now, our scott mcgrew is looking closer at the numbers. he'll have a complete look in our midday newscast. link to more on our home page. also, fast food workers say they're not getting enough protections. some are talking about walking off the job today right here in the bay area. and today, fremont is expanding access to one of its two free coronavirus testing clinics. it's located at the tri-city health center on liberty street. starting today you won't need a car to get those appointments and you can just walk up. everyone is working a little differently now.

so we can still answer your calls. and we are monitoring our system 24/7 to ensure that we have a fast reliable network, keep the customers connected, and making sure people are staying safe. and we're still on the road. solving critical issues as they arise. ♪ go to xfinity.com/prepare. thank you.

and a good thursday morning, everyone, welcome to the "3rd hour of today," craig melvin here holding it down in studio 1a, al and sheinelle working from home. and sheinelle jones i heard you tried something new today. >> listen, nothing has changed beginning of the year we talked about our resolutions, and i said that one of the things i wanted to do was strengthen my relationships with my girlfriends and my friends. >> yes. >> so i've been feeling a little anxiety the last couple of days and i thought, you know what, why don't i work on something i can control. that is relationships. i called up girlfriends from drirc different groups i set uphr