special at 6:30, "the price of the pandemic." that's tonight at 6:30 right here on nbc bay area. thanks for joining us this morning on "today in the bay." we will see you back here at 7:25. the "today" show is next. ♪ good morning, a record rise, the highest single day yet of new coronavirus cases worldwide. most, right here in the united states. adding to concern as the nation communities across the country

holding in-person graduation ceremonies. >> you are now graduates of thompson high school. >> students spread out, most wearing caps, gowns and masks. but are the celebrations worth the risk? breaking overnight, terror at the mall, a gunman opens fires on shoppers in arizona while apparently streaming the attack online. >> it was probably the scariest moment of my life. >> at least three people hurt, the suspect in custody. officials saying social distancing and smaller crowds, likely prevented a larger we are back, 7:48. and this morning on "today's" countdown to summer, there's no tragedy. place like home. you don't have to leave your own backyard to have some fun over an unexpected change in the the memorial day weekend and craig, craig, you're about college admissions scandal. to find out just how good it can be. lori lock lynn and her husband pleading guilty. >> oh, boy, oh, boy. we have the latest. the wife, kids, we're all going those stories. to give it a shot tonight. we turned to the ultimate outdoorsman, clint carter from men's journal. surprise in the sky. clint, i apologize in advance

the blue angels' unforgettable for my family already in the tent there gift to the naval academy when i left the house thisturn s graduating class. today, thursday, may 21st, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, morning and saw you pull up i this is "today" with savannah guthrie, and hoda kotb. did not think it was going to turn into this live from studio 1a in quite the setup. let's start with that beautiful tent you erected what is that >> yeah, so you're going to like this tent. rockefeller plaza. it's the coleman darkroom sky hey, everybody, welcome to dome it's big "today." if you've got the space in your backyard, this is the time to so happy that you're joining us what i really like about it is this rain fly up here blocks out 90% of light on this thursday morning. when you close this, it's really savannah, good to see you. dark inside. >> you too, hoda. and it's a little cooler too, which makes it easy to sleep in. that's one of the things that can sort of ruin the morning when you wake up right at sunlight and it's hot and you're we found out lori lock lynn are sweaty pleading guilty and they will this is cooler and darker, easy serve time in prison as part of to sleep in. that. we have late-breaking details. also, you've got to have good furniture at your camp site. just got them straight ahead. we've got the chairs here. we've got the table. let's start off with other this is all from a company called decathlon grim numbers from the labor department, revealing more than 2.4 million people applied for i like them because the chairs are -- these are $10 unemployment benefits last week. these are $8 and this is $19.99. good value on all the stuff.

while devastating, it is a decline from previous weeks really affordable. >> can you go back inside the tent for one second? because craig was complaining that his back hurts when he during the coronavirus pandemic. sleeps on the grass. is there anything foamy under >> and there are 106,000 new cases, the most in a single day since the outbreak began. there so he can be comfy nearly half the 45,000 were here >> i did not bring your sleeping in the u.s. mat, i'm afraid. but if you've got inflatable the total number of cases tops 5 mattresses, you can put two million. inflatable mattresses, queen you can see as we show you this size in there. that's how much room you've got. >> clint, there's two children there in the tent. map how widespread the virus is. on every continent now, except who are those kids antarctica. the cdc updated its guidance >> i didn't bring the kids on the virus saying it is not easily spread from surfaces or objects like packages or they're not my kids. >> they look familiar. >> these kids just showed up i hope they're your kids. >> looks like they've already groceries. we talk about that with dr. john started. torres in a moment. let's start with the >> i respect that they're also following the no shoes zone i've laid out here. economic fallout. this is really smart because you're not going to track dirt jo ling kent joins us. good morning. in, not going to track any clods of grass in. this is really smart >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning to you. that's right. you can use any throw blanket

2.4 million jobless claims were you have or a tarp this is one from a company in filed last week, pushing the north carolina number to 39, 40 million claims since mid march. i like the ones they make. you can stake them out and it's that's the equivalent of the entire state of california applying for unemployment. water resistant. hardest-hit states, california, when you've got dewy grass, washington, new york, georgia, florida. you're not going to have any the number hurts more when you moisture coming up when you're sitting here hanging out. look at new census bureau data >> i see some smoke there. we got, showing nearly half all did you already start a fire households have been hit with >> yeah, we've got some fires going. so, you have to have fire at your camp site i've got three sources of fire job loss or cut in hours. here, contained fire that's >> all right. great for the backyard thank you. we have a quick question for you. one tiki torches buy these and you set up a perimeter around your camp site. that creates a nice bubble of 50 states are partially reopened. light. when do you think we're going to it's really warm, it's really nice see relief? if you turn off the lights in >> reporter: good news is that the house it creates a strong most states, when you look at effect of creating separation the unemployment reports, the claims are going down. from the rest of your yard however, self-employed, gig workers, freelancers are just and then i want to focus on this for a second here. this is a lantern that uses now able to file for their natural light. instead of having a lightbulb it benefits. uses candles to burn for nine

those numbers are likely to go hours each up. we're looking to brace for the natural light is warmer. you're in your backyard, you can do it. $39.99 for this. long haul, the congressional budget office saying the and then a fire pit. you have to have a fire pit. my favorite one is called recovery is going to drag on biolight until end of next year. >> thank you. they've put a fan on the fire let's go over to savannah. pit that circulates air inside >> speaking of reopening, to for a really efficient burn. something a lot of people what's cool about this is is weren't expecting to see as the that you can actually turn up country gets back to business, the fire if you want to. you can adjust the intensity by using a button here on the overnight a number of outside of the motor if you don't want to get that communities held in person graduation certificate moans for close to the fire you can sync up your phone and turn the flame up from your phone high school class of 2020. sam brock joins us with that that's a cool feature. you've got these grates you can put hot dogs and burgers on story and more on reopening of there. the country. >> clint, i was skeptical, now sam, good morning. i'm excited. >> reporter: good morning, it is high school graduation season thank you. right now, students at coral don't touch a thing. don't make me have to set up any gables high school were expecting to graduate in just a couple days. instead it's a virtual ceremony of that stuff. on june the 9th, from and i see my wife there as well. >> i'm leaving it for you. graduations to church services, >> thank you states right now lifting their i'm looking forward -- ban on large gatherings as a battle is brewing between the >> hi, lindsay. cdc and the federal government >> we have sticks for you. hi, guys, hi. >> your family is ready. >> we were on a zoom call with my son's teacher and he looks out the window and goes there's a new tent in our backyard

over guidelines. a senior administration he's ready. >> we're ready. officials says guidance for reopening houses of >> practicing his mindfulness. worship has been put on hold this is going to work as after a battle between the incentive all day long. centers for disease control and prevention and the white house. the senior administration >> you can find all of clint's official telling nbc news that ideas at today.com/shop and be sometimes the cdc's sure to tune in tomorrow to see recommendations can be overly how the camping experience unfolds. i think it's going to go okay. >> i think it's going to be bureaucratic, we're doing our pretty good. best to raine in in the cdc and our best to empower states to make their own decisions. a church goer in california recently tested positive for coronavirus, potentially exposing 180 worshippers. highlighting a growing struggle between the cdc and the white house over reopening guidelines. the cdc, quietly releasing a detailed road map this week, including details on child care facilities, restaurants, summer camps and youth sports organizations, as well as new guidelines on touching contaminated surfaces, saying there's still a risk but the disease does not spread easily in that manner. >> you are now graduates of we will see you back here at thompson high school.

>> scenes of pomp and strange circumstances across alabama. where wednesday night 400 seniors in hoover collected their diplomas at an 11,000 seat stadium. >> there are concerns but i'm trying to stay as safe as i can even in the midst of the issue. >> where students were given four tickets each and all attendees told, no mask, no entry. tonight, 650 more students will graduate in person at the same venue, though not without some protest. >> push it back a couple months. >> can you hold a graduation with social distancing safely? >> in my opinion, not at this motorcycle riders love the open road. time. and especially in the case of and geico loves helping riders get to where they're going, alabama, not at this time in this state with cases rising fairly dramatically, just in the last two to three weeks. so to help even more, geico is giving new and current customers >> alabama's school superintendent issued guidance a fifteen percent credit on their motorcycle policies earlier this month that says at with the geico giveback. a minimum gatherings must be held in a facility that would allow a distance of six feet and because we're committed for the long haul, between households. the credit lasts your full policy term. family members of the same

household may sit together the geico giveback. without regard to the social distance rule. helping riders focus on the road ahead. and it's not just alabama. >> wow, what a senior year. >> in texas, ceremonies on the gridiron. in norman, oklahoma, a packed activity center. students shoulder to shoulder with the city manager's smucker's celebrates "today" is sponsored by rachael ray blessing, and few visible masks. sights that signal a new nutrish, real recipes, real appetite for risk, as americans try to turn the corner on covid. in montgomery, alabama this ingredients, real good. morning with a health care system strained and welcome back, may happens to be national pet month. hospitalizations are up, a stark warning from the mayor there who says if you are in montgomery and you need an icu bed, you're in trouble. al, pets seem to be more popular savannah, hoda, those than ever these days. >> boy, you got that right, graduations we were just showing you, about an hour from montgomery. back to you. >> all right, sam, thank you. savannah let's turn to nbc's medical correspondent dr. john torres, dr. torres, good morning to you, in fact, pet adoptions have been i'm sure you were disturbed as through the roof many were to see what the w.h.o. and recently said, that it had its single worst day of new cases, new so along with our sponsor, nutrish we asked you to show off

the newest member of your family raise a paw to frank his owner casey says he's bringing so much joy to the neighborhood kids. what a cutie cases. next is sidney adopted just two weeks ago by i mean, that's going in the opposite direction to state the laura who says sidney's personality fits right in with obvious. the family what do you make of it? >> savannah, what i make of it is that the things we're putting in place to work are working appropriately well but we also know at the same time we are going to have upticks in cases and we're seeing those photos and say hello to these chicks. that sam brock had out there, people in graduation shoulder to shoulder in the u.s. that's disconcerting. at the same time you realize they're not taking it as seriously as they should, the i mean, they really are chicks fact that this is a disease that's still there, is still sarah on facebook, enjoying spreading throughout the country. every second with them now that we're opening up the country a little bit more people that's kind of cool. hello, chicks. guys really need to concentrate on >> hello, chicks. >> al, thank you hey, craig, we have breaking doing that social distancing, news from your camp site wearing masks, doing those they were able to meet your request for an espresso maker. things we know they need to do so you'll have your skinny latte tomorrow morning, like you like. to stay safe. >> good. that's the only thing that was we can't let our guard down yet. missing. i know it's been a few months. a lot of people are tired of doing things but at the same time we can't let our guard thanks, savannah down. we're right back where we started and we're going to have to do this all over again. good morning. >> let's talk about this new guidance from the cdc that says 8:56. i'm marcus washington. that the virus does not spread actress lori loughlin and her husband have agreed to plead that easily from contaminated

surfaces, people who've been guilty to scandal in the college wiping off each and every grocery and their packages would admissions scandal. love to stop doing that. she was given 100 hours of is that what this means? community service. her husband giannulli received >> what it means is we can go ahead and not be as concerned five months in prison and 250 about that. hours of community service. we still need to be a little bit together they'll pay $400,000 in concerned, and still need to do the things we need to do to stay fines. safe and that means mainly prosecutors accuse the couple of washing our hands, so focusing paying $500,000 to get their more on washing our hands than on taking care of every container, washing every piece daughters into usc. happening now, kris sanchez of fruit and vegetable. is learning more about the deal and when it should be finalized. it's not spread easily through she's going to have a live report during our midday contact, we don't touch something and touch our faces newscast. also tloilink to more on our ho and get it as easily. we can still get it that way. page. bob rydell is speaking to the main focus needs to be on restaurant owners in solano that social distancing, wearing county. they get the green light to allow restaurants to open up for masks. getting the respiratory droplets in our eyes and those is the way dining in. it comes after napa county we get it. became the first to enter this we don't need to be as concerned with that as we do with social part of the reopening process. bay area counties now in various stages of reopening, there's a lot to process. distancing. clean things, wash your hands, we're trying to make it easier teach your children to do the for you. head to our home page for the full county by county breakdown

same thing but again, make sure on what's open. we focus on the social distancing, that's priority number one. we'll have more local news for you in an hour. >> and then real quickly, a lot of headlines about this new study out of columbia university that estimates, 36,000 lives could have been saved had we started this social distancing just two weeks earlier than we did. that's, you know, roughly a third of all the deaths that we've had in this country could have been reduced. how do they figure that out? how do they make that calculation? >> and, savannah, this is interesting because back in february i talked to a few experts and they said the same thing. one of the disconcerting things we were a couple weeks behind in getting our response up and running, and just two weeks would make a huge difference in what happens with cases and that's exactly what this is showing doing using these mathematical models to figure it out. going forward what this is telling us as people are opening up, they need to make a big effort to see if there are any cases, if there are, an even

bigger effort to clamp the cases down to make sure it doesn't turn into an outbreak. >> dr. torres, thank you very much. hoda, to you. to more breaking news. at least three people injured, a suspect in custody after a shooting in glendale, arizona that recently reopened. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer joins us with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. a terrifying scene in arizona. hospital officials say one person in critical condition. two others suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. police believe the suspect recorded the shooting, but he is in custody this morning. overnight, panic during the pandemic, after a lone gunman opened fire in a shopping area in glendale, arizona, about 15 miles from phoenix. just as the country takes steps

to slowly reopen, shots rang out around 7:25 p.m. in west gate entertainment district, a complex of shops and restaurants. >> it was the scariest moment of my life. >> dropped everything, told people, i was like we have to go inside. >> reporter: arizona state senator posting on twitter he was in the area at the time of the shooting, writing i saw two victims with my own eyes. i saw the shooter. once police arrived, the shooting had already ended. ♪ >> we were able to locate that suspect in the westgate area, center studio 1a in officers challenged that suspect, were able to safely rockefeller plaza, the "3rd hour take that person into custody. >> reporter: authorities wouldn't identify the suspect. of today." >> welcome to the "3rd hour of say they don't have a motive or today. craig melvin here in studio 1a, type of weapon used, but say they believe he was the only one al, dylan, sheinel working involved in the shooting. from home. officials are now asking it is thursday residents to shelter in place but that also means that we just after the chaotic incident, just received the latest unemployment as many people are striving to numbers from the federal government

last week nearly 2.5 million get back to normal lives. >> the shelter in place again is americans filed claims for benefits that pushes the total since this in place, not because we believe there's an active threat, but we crisis need to systematically, efficiently check businesses for additional victims or witnesses. >> reporter: state of arizona like other states just eased stay at home orders. police say it could have been worse. they're looking at the potential piece of evidence that had the shooter recording the incident. savannah? >> all right, thank you. and we learned actress lori loughlin and her husband will plead guilty in the college admissions scandal. gabe gutierrez joins us live with breaking details. hi, gabe, good morning. >> hi, savannah, good morning. we learned details a short time ago, information from the u.s. attorney office in massachusetts. lori loughlin and her husband, fashion designer husband, will plead guilty to conspiracy

charges stemming from the college admissions scandal. as you know, they have been accused of paying a half million to get two daughters into usc as fake recruits. they pled not guilty and fought charges as recently as two weeks ago. laughlin will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, her husband pleading to similar charges. as part of the agreement, we learn that laughlin has agreed to serve two months in prison, pay $150,000 and two years of supervised release with community service. her husband agreed to serve five months in prison, pay $250,000 fine, and supervised release with community service. the court set a date of tomorrow for them to formally enter the plea, and they become the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty as part of the college admissions scandal, savannah. >> gabe, you just mentioned as

recently as two weeks ago, laughlin and her husband sought to dismiss the charges, had an aggressive legal strategy, were de defiant. what's behind the sudden change? >> we don't know we can tell you charges carried up to 20 years in prison. in the last several months, late last year, the government ramped up pressure on lori loughlin and her husband to plead guilty. other high profile couples, felicity huffman had already pled guilty, served a few days in prison. at some point apparently laughlin and her team made the calculation this outcome was preferable than going to trial which was expected later this year, savannah. very much.ave been a big gamble. appreciate it. hoda, to you. 16 minutes after the hour. historic flooding emergency in michigan, investigation under

way into failure of two dams. one river increased more than 35 feet. that's the highest it has been in more than three decades. flood waters are threatening a major chemical plant, dow chemical. officials say the river is mixing with containment ponds, they're activating emergency plans. officials say it will be several days before waters recede to normal levels. one other story from washington. one of the white house's longest serving employees died at the age of 91. he contracted the coronavirus. wilson roosevelt german served through 11 presidents, started as a cleaner in the eisenhower administration, promoted to butler when john f. kennedy was in office. stayed on through the obama administration. he was remembered fondly by former president george w. bush

and laura bush. they say he was a lovely man. think about the stories he could tell but probably didn't tell any of them, hoda, al. total professional. >> i was talking to generjenna him. they called him mr. german, he made the place feel like home. i am sure he did that for many before her. mr. roker, let's check the weather. >> it is chilly in the west. seattle, nine degrees below average. portland 60, medicine foford. more of the same from reno to jackson. temperatures are from 5 to 17 to

18 degrees below average. then we slide to the south. look at the temperatures. by monday on memorial day, yuma in triple digits. 84 in santa barbara and las vegas, it will be warm with 97 degrees. rest of the west looking at partly cloudy skies, a few showers in salem. 56. boise, 58 degrees. anaheim, 84 degrees. winslow, 78. aspen, 62. we have heavier showers and thunderstorms in the mid-atlantic states, wet weather in the pacific northwest. the rest of the country, heavy rain in mid-atlantic states. strong storms through florida. severe storms in central, person texas. sunshine from the great lakes all the way into the northeast, but that will be changing as we head into the weekend. expect severe storms also starting to develop as we get into the mid plains.

sunny, warm through the southwest. looking at temperatures that climb up into the 90s and 100s. again, looking at heavy rain, possibility of flooding in parts of the carolinas and in virginia. roanoke picked up 11 inches of rain since yesterday. unfortunately, we're going to see more rain this weekend for parts of michigan that are thaling wi

good morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we're still in for mild weather today with our temperatures in the south bay reaching up to 78 degrees in san jose, but there will be a few inland east bay spots that reach into the low 80s. up to 82 degrees in antioch today. we will also see low 80s in the north bay while san francisco stays in the 60s and 70s. we will see our temperatures heating up over the next few days and by the end of the weekend we're in the upper 80s and 90s next week. that's your latest weather. and that's your latest and that's your latest weather. guys >> all right, al, thank you so much. and coming up the national parks reopening just in time for the holiday weekend. new safety measures. and a few perks in place for families who got the itch to venture out into the great outdoors we're going to have a live report this morning from the florida everglades. an unexpected group on the front lines against the coronavirus. librarians, that's right, librarians, the important role they're being recruited to play. but first, this is "today" on

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good morning. 7:26. i am marcus washington. >> i am laura garcia. we have a look at our top stories this morning, including another bay area county allowing restaurants to reopen their doors. >> i am bob redell, a second bay area county is allowing restaurants to have dine-in. retail stores and malls are also allowed to reopen with social distancing protocols in place. schools can open later in the summer or fall.

good morning, everyone. i am scott mcgrew. it's thursday, when we get the first-time jobless claims and slightly more than 2 million americans filed for unemployment benefits, and it's a big number and it's gotten smaller every week. i am kris sanchez with how city governments are getting creative and putting their workers back to work as contract tracers. in san francisco, hundreds of city workers, librarian, city attorneys, are being trained to operate as disease detectives. ucsf and ucla are working to see if they can help with the supply. and lori loughlin and her husband agreed to plead guilty in the college admissions scandal.

as part of the agreement she receives a two-month prison sentence and a $150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. in the meantime, her husband will spend five months in prison, pay a quarter million-dollar fine and complete 250 hours of community service. prosecutors accuse the couple of paying half a million dollars to get their daughters into usc. kari, will it be another day for us? >> yes, a beautiful day. we are already starting out with sunshine and we will have a slight warm-up for today with highs reaching into the low 80s. san francisco will stay cool, a high of 67, and as you make your way inland you can see the highs today will reach into the low 80s, up to 82 degrees in antioch, and the 7-day forecast shows low 80s for today and tomorrow but the weekend is when we will start to feel the heat build up and by memorial day we

are looking at the 90s that will continue into next week. back to you. >> thanks so much. another local news update in half an hour. >> we'll see you then. latest

that special twist of the blue angels' latest fly over, cadets looking on from below, tossing their hats in celebration, making for a great sight in the sky. craig has joined the table good morning, how was the birthday, craig, were you up late last night? >> i was up later than usual the family went above and beyond, spectacular. >> you were dragging it in this morning. you might have had a little fun

last night we do want to tell you about a few things we're working on for tomorrow as we head into the holiday weekend, the unofficial start of summer. a lot of you guys have questions about vacation rentals we have an interview with the ceo of airbnb. we'll find out what his site is doing to be sure properties are clean and safe vicky nguyen is going to focus specifically on the memorial day weekend and how we can all stay safe while having fun if you're heading to the pool, maybe the beach, or that family barbecue as well. vicky will have that for us tomorrow as well. let's get caught up on the headlines at 7:30 on a thursday morning. flood waters that forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. threatening a major chemical plant. the flooding began tuesday when a pair of dams failed to hold back a rising river after days of rain.

officials at dow chemical said flood waters have started mixing with on site containment ponds, prompting the company to activate emergency plans officials say it will be several days before the waters recede to normal river levels. the uss theodore roosevelt has left guam and gone out to sea after being sidelined for nearly two months with the coronavirus outbreak the crew will do about two weeks of training to return to duty. the ship has been docked in guam since march the 27th more than 1,000 crew members tested positive for the coronavirus over that stretch of time and a wallet that was lost nearly 60 years ago is back with its rightful owner this morning. donna brown misplaced the wallet donna brown misplaced the wallet around 1961 when she went to the ladies' room of a movie theater. the theater is now being remodeled. crews recently discovered that wallet in perfect condition while taking apart the walls the theater owner found donna

through facebook and returned the wallet, and inside, pictures of donna's friends and even her learner's permit. >> that's crazy. >> i mean. >> 60 years. >> there's hope, hoda, for us m losing our purses at the mall in the '80s. >> mine was at spencer gifts. >> there's still hope. we know the holiday weekend is upon us. we're so happy about that and millions of americans are planning to venture out for that first post quarantine trip if you're looking for a destination you should know a lot of our national parks are reopening just in time nbc's morgan chesky is down in florida this morning he's at everglades national park exploring the right ways and the safe ways your family can get back to nature morgan, good morning >> reporter: good morning, savannah you know, for months now the gators have had the whole park here at the everglades all to themselves but with shelter in place orders lifting all over the country people are starting to come back they'll be able to find these same beautiful views, but be

forewarned, the rules are changing this morning for the first time in months lovers of the great outdoors can once again enjoy the majestic beauty in person as some of our national parks reopen just in time for memorial day. at the florida everglades campgrounds are closed but you can still take a walk on the wild side. >> we wanted to see some animals. we've already seen some alligators and egrets. >> it's nice to be able to come out here and enjoy nature. >> reporter: these friends not alone. the secret's out with many americans looking to leave quarantine households. even second lady karen pence dropping by the smoky mountains in tennessee. >> not only are these experiences enjoyable to have but they're good for us too. >> reporter: marty bear is with

travel outfitter -- >> are national parks safe right now? >> outdoor venues are preferred to places where you're inside, and in tight quarters with other people. >> reporter: he says his clients now, more than ever, are looking to explore what our nation's backyard has to offer. >> to see families and especially children getting back into nature, and being excited about nature is a tremendous feeling. >> reporter: the cdc recommends the wide open spaces but avoid , stay home if you've been s stresses to avoid crowded parks, stay home if you've been sick or recently exposed to the virus and stay six feet apart, the park service making it more clear with these signs, describing proper social distancing as two picnic tables, a moose's antlers or the length of a grizzly bear. yosemite still remains closed but other famed parks like the grand canyon in yellow stone are open with certain restrictions california's joshua tree, one way trails, one change of many. >> camping is limited to families or households you typically would be hanging out with during the time of covid. >> reporter: for those eager to get outside the extra steps for safety well worth nature's

payoff. >> i think it's safe to come out here there hasn't been a lot of crowds and we've been wearing our masks and everyone else we've seen out has been wearing masks as well. >> reporter: a heads up before you do go, each park has specific changes for its own reopening in phases so make sure you check online before you do hit the road the good news come this memorial day weekend all entry fees have been waived. weekend and hiking in one of the parks in connecticut and it's cool to see people not just wearing the masks but guys, back to you. >> that's one thing we've been doing over the past few weeks, we've been going out every weekend and hiking in one of the parks in connecticut and it's cool to see people not just wearing the masks but when they see someone approaching they move five or six feet away on the trail. >> do a little wave. >> exactly. coming up next, a surprising weapon in the fight against the coronavirus and the push to reopen america. >> it does feel good to know that i'm part of this big effort to get people through this this safely. >> just ahead, jake ward's going to introduce us to the librarians turned disease

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we're back. it's 7:40 now. with our series "search for solutions," this morning we're back it's 7:40 now. with our series "search for solutions," this morning the new front line in the fight against the coronavirus. >> investigators are being tasked with tracking down possible exposures and containing them before the virul spreads further. that's a tall order. nbc's tech correspondent jacob ward is taking a closer look at that hey, jake, good morning. >> good morning, hoda. they're the people who get on the phone and make calls to figure out not only who has been infected but who they may have also exposed to infection. one infected person, a recent report found this, can actually lead to an additional 59,000 infections the stakes are very high but i think you'll be surprised to see who is doing this

critical work. the san francisco public library is closed. but librarians like jessica jaramillo are hard at work. >> you're interviewing people, i do that at my reference desk >> reporter: she's one of 100 city employees, assessors and attorneys trained to be contact tracers, finding out who they've been with, to contain the exposure and stop future outbreaks. >> it is really gratifying when >> reporter: we've never done contact tracing on this scale and it could take i'm on the phone with someone, and they feel cared for. >> reporter: we've never done contact tracing on this scale and it could take anywhere from 100,000 to more than a quarter million of them to cover the country. experts say the quicker a case is isolated the more lives we'll save last weekend at a church service in northern california one infected person who did not feel sick exposed 180 others. the goal of contact tracers is

to keep the virus from spreading further by getting those exposed testing, care and quarantined if necessary. if you receive a call from the well-being and health of our community. >> reporter: the question is, with the country poised to reopen and a projected crush of new cases, do we have enough contact tracers to keep up? technology can help t department of public health. please pick up the phone it has huge implications for the well-being and health of our community. >> reporter: the question is, with the country poised to reopen and a projected crush of new cases, do we have enough contact tracers to keep up technology can help them gather more information apple and google are giving technology to states to develop apps that use bluetooth to alert you when your phone has been close to an infected person. states like utah have their own apps, using gps data to track where you've been and to discover where the disease is spreading. >> in a gr if that's people to people or that actually might be from someone

touching a subway pole. >> reporter: bison tracking technology to trace coronavirus transmission these state apps are a patch work they don't communicate with each other and they require people to opt in and always have their phones on them meanwhile, contact tracing in countries like south korea, which has had comparatively low rates of infection is far more invasive, tracking exposed people from surveillance footage. it's a disease tracking system. >> we're not doing that surveillance work going on in south korea because of privacy and confidentiality is highly esteemed in the u.s. >> reporter: human contact tracers are the only proven way of doing this work so, to slow the spread of this virus, we will need to pick up the phone when jaramillo calls. >> it does feel good to know that i'm part of this big effort to get people through this us safely and to get us to a point where

we can open up safely. >> reporter: you know, you guys, what i think we're learning here is that technology alone is not going to do the trick. we're going to need these good people on the phone to get out in front of this thing, especially as we get to a place as we've been talking about this morning, where we begin to reopen the country, get on planes, go across state lines. so their work is going to be more important than ever, you guys. >> jake, as a daughter of a librarian i'd like to give an extra shoutout to the librarians out there. i have a -- i've got a question for you, jake, what's the federal government's role in all this >> reporter: well, this is the really surprising part you know, the centers for disease control really is not offering much in the way of -- they offer some guidance, they offer some financial assistance to states but there is no real federal oversight of this process and so you have a national problem in which these states, state by state, and sometimes city by city, are trying to figure this process out. it's not a good sign for what seems to need some kind of enormous national scale response here, hoda. >> as you said, important to answer the phone and answer those questions.

jacob ward, jake, thank you. >> yes, please. 7:45 now on this thursday morning. feels like a good time to check in with mr. roker. al, how we looking, buddy? >> not looking too bad temperaturewise, let's check out what's going on around the country today. cooler conditions here in the east from st. louis to columbus down to charlotte. temperatures anywhere from five to ten degrees below average now, as we move into friday warming up in the northeast. look at boston, you're going to be near 80 degrees buffalo, 78. but still a little chilly in the midwest. and as we move into the holiday weekend, temperatures warm up to des moines, 81 degrees, cleveland, you'll be 81 on memorial day 79 in raleigh. temperatures in new york trying to break 70 degrees, but struggling a bit where as little rock will see temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. florida all the way on up into 80s. strong storms from florida all the way on up into the mid-atlantic states, severe

storms in the central plains, sunny and warm out west today. that's what's going on around i am meteorologist, kari hall. let's head outside in san jose as we wake up to sunshine this morning. we will get more sun throughout the afternoon giving us a slight warm-up for our afternoon high. we will reach up to the low 80s for some of our inland east bay communities and for the north bay up to 80 degrees, and for the south bay expect a high of 78 and 67 in san francisco. we will heat up this weekend, especially go into memorial day. that's your latest weather. that's your latest weather craig? >> all right, al, thank you so much. just ahead here, gearing up for an historic mission, inside the first manned space launch from the united states in a decade that's right after this. and trulicity activates my body to release it

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dream jobs we would have gotten to have some day it would have been to be aboard a new spacecraft, be conducting a test mission aboard that spacecraft and doug and i get that chance to do it. >> i happen to have been one of the four astronauts that landed here almost nine years ago it's incredibly humbling to be here to start out the next launch from the united states. >> that's exciting the first time, a private company, not a national government, to send astronauts into orbit, final test before the commercial crew flights are allowed to begin, guys. >> there's only one american up there right now, apparently, his name is chris cassidy and he sent an email to hurley. i want to make sure i get it right. he said that he was, quote, looking forward to seeing their ugly mugs on board he's been up there that long by himself. >> trash talk already, all right. >> the launch is next wednesday, nbc will have full coverage. coming up, kids, we've got

two major stars just ahead, ben stiller is joining us, he cracks open his family archives for a sweet tribute to his father. also, kevin hart, life we're going to talk to kev about the motivational message he's spreading his new project. but first, your local news on our money. we're able to invest through the same exact platform. i got approved for a loan and it was a game-changer. truly sofi, thank you for helping me prepare for whatever the future has in store. (♪) it can be used on the hands, body, and face. it cleanses and moistuizes with 1/4 moisturizing cream. leaving your skin feeling comfortable and smooth. dove men+care 3-in-1 bar.

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now through june 1st. good morning to you, 7:56. i am marcus washington. >> i am laura garcia. the state has given solano county to go ahead with the plan to let malls and retail stores to reopen, and schools can open later in the summer and fall and restaurants like this in downtown benicia, they can let diners come and sit down and eat as long as diners are six feet apart. i am kris sanchez with how city governments are getting creative and putting their workers back to work as contract tracers. in san francisco, city attorneys

and assessors and librarians are being trained to operate as disease detectives. and santa clara county also asking the city to identify staff that can work as the contract tracers. looks like it will be a nice day today. >> it will be, and a little warmer than yesterday as we check out our live view in walnut creek right now. we are starting out with sunshine, and yesterday was cloudy and we can tell it will be just a little warmer than it was, as we reach into the low 70s and 80s, and then the weekend is when we start to feel the warm-up. we will reach into the upper 80s by sunday and memorial day, 90 degrees, and mid-90s by tuesday and looks hot as we go into the middle of next week.

back to you. >> thanks, kari. we better find a shady spot, marcus. >> yes, we will. we will have more local news coming up in 30 minutes.

♪ it's 8:00 on "today, it's 8:00 on "today," coming up on the rise the number of single day coronavirus cases hits a record high worldwide most of the confirmed cases right here in the united states, where all 50 states move ahead with their reopening process some in person graduations taking place but are the ceremonies too soon? we're live with the latest plus, praying for strength, broadway star nick cordero faces new complications in his fight against covid-19. >> nick just had a bad morning. >> just ahead his wife's

heartfelt message of hope. and life lessons, actor ben stiller will join us to talk about the special ways he's remembering his dad jerry. and then we'll catch up with comedian kevin hart, the new job he's adding to his resume. today thursday, may 21st, 2020 ♪ feeling good ♪ >> celebrating our mom's birthday from champagne, illinois. >> i am turning 5. >> happy birthday. ♪ >> it's morgan and ashley and this is our last day at wausau east high school whoo >> all right, morgan, all right, ashley, welcome back to "today," thank you, thank you for joining us on this thursday morning, special welcome to all you late risers we know who you are. cup of coffee right now, getting the day started.

>> it's early risers now. >> exactly, right. >> late is the new early. >> by the way we can't wait to celebrate with folks getting up early with us. there they are, there's the virtual plaza. by the way if you want to be part of the virtual plaza go to our website to sign up and join in on the fun. this morning, a special surprise on the virtual plaza looking forward to that. >> all right, good we do. let's get you caught up on the news at 8:00 if you're just waking up with us the world has seen an unprecedented one-day speak in new coronavirus cases, just as we're getting an important update from the cdc on how the virus is spread and how it is not spread nbc's kristen welker joins us with three things she's watching today. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you, the first big thing we're watching today the director of the world health organization says the agency has received more cases in the last 24 hours, the countries with the

largest numbers, united states, russia, brazil and india now nearly 5 million cases across the globe it comes as all 50 states are starting to slowly reopen, with some of them even holding socially distanced graduations the cdc's quietly released new guidelines for reopening for places like schools and restaurants. but not included, places of worship. overnight a senior administration official telling nbc news guidance for reopening places of worship has been put on hold after a battle between the centers for disease control and the white house. the white house believes the cdc's suggestions are too restrictive and wants states to make their own decisions and finally the cdc now says coronavirus does not spread easily through touching surfaces and objects. dr. john torres weighed in earlier on "today." >> we can go ahead and not be as concerned about that we still need to be a little bit concerned and still need to do the things we need to do to stay safe that means mainly washing our hands.

so focusing more on washing our hands than on taking care of every container, now the cdc is saying, which research bears out, it's not spread easily through contact. >> reporter: the new information could help ease some of those concerns about receiving packages for his part, president trump travels to michigan today to visit a ford plant that now manufactures ventilators hoda >> kristen welker for us at the white house. kristen, thanks. now to an issue that's become really polarizing, wearing masks when you head to places where social distancing is not possible. it is recommended by the cdc, but not everyone appears eager to follow those guidelines, leading to some confrontations and in some extreme cases, violence gadi schwartz has the story. >> reporter: caught on camera inside a costco. >> hi, everyone, i work for costco and i'm asking this member to put on a mask. that is our company policy. >> that employee's reaction seen by millions. the video actually posted by the man without the mask

but most on social media applauding the workers' polite shutdown, the latest instance of people refusing to wear masks in places of business. >> i have a doctor's note so i don't have to wear one, i'll show you. >> reporter: at a trader joe's, this woman taunting others while being asked to leave the store. >> you are nuts wearing that mask a 99% survival rate, you're all wearing masks like sheep. >> other confrontations have turned violent at this waffle house in colorado a cook was shot after asking a customer to put one on even reporters heckled for wearing masks to protect others while covering a story. >> your mouth -- >> reporter: when enough don't comply, local law enforcement like the sheriff of l.a. county have been asked to step in how do you respond to people who are concerned this may be unconstitutional >> well, the constitution is not a suicide pact, for starters and most importantrights may en

to infringe on my health. >> reporter: the sheriff says most people are complying, only four arrests so far in a county of 10 million. >> that's a couple masks for you. >> reporter: deputies opting to give out free masks instead of writing tickets. when it comes to masks in places of business like privately owned grocery stores it's basically the same as no shoes, no shirt, no service. as the pandemic drags on every day we're seeing more instances of people's nerves wearing thin. seems like the mask thing has become like a cultural war. >> unfortunately it's starting to fall along those lines. the virus doesn't distinguish. it's going to hit republicans. it's going to hit democrats, liberals, conservative. it does not discriminate. when it has a chance it will schwartz, nbc news. to the latest on a story we've been following here for weeks, nick cordero's battle against covid-19, the broadway star facing another health setback this morning in an up

and down recovery, really. his wife sharing the latest update on social media and asking for the public for their, quote, mega prayers and strength. here's nbc's natalie morales. >> reporter: after several small wins in his long and difficult battle with covid-19, nick cordero is once again fighting for his life. >> nick has had a bad morning. >> reporter: his wife giving this gut wrenching update on social media. >> unfortunately things are going a little downhill at the moment. so i am asking, again, for all the prayers, mega prayers. right now. >> reporter: the troubling news comes shortly after last week's bright spot, after more than 40 days in a medically induced coma cordero was finally awake. she didn't elaborate but their family has gone through two months of health scares and setbacks.

he's a tony nominated actor and singer, starring in rock of ages in hollywood this past winter. a serious case of pneumonia led him to the e.r. on march 30th where he was diagnosed with covid-19. two days later cordero was in a medically induced coma and complications from the virus soon followed. the 41-year-old suffering from mini strokes, holes in his lungs and blood clots, forcing doctors to amputate his right leg. cordero's family drowned out the darkness with hope and a little song and dance. she's with their 11 month old son elvis often by her side, began to rally support from a growing chorus of well wishers around the world. who were singing and dancing to cordero's songs with the #wake up nick. and just last week -- >> nick, dada, is awake! yay! >> reporter: the world

celebrated with them. the quest for a code rocky, recovery and relief, getting attention from rocky himself. >> you've been dealt a horrible hand. tough one. it takes a strong, strong man, and a strong family, to override that situation. >> reporter: it's that fighting spirit that his family is counting on to bring him back home. >> i know this virus is not going to get him down. it's not how his story ends. >> reporter: for "today," natalie morales, los angeles. >> nick has the right people in his corner, he's got his wife amanda, that little baby elvis and so many others pulling for him. >> pulling and praying, yes. >> definitely. mega prayers headed his way for sure. breaking news out of hollywood. lori loughlin and her husband have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in the college admissions scandal.

part of a plea agreement, laughlin will serve two months in prison, her husband five months. they previously pled not guilty, firmly insisted on their innocence. we're coming up on 8:10, news is covered and now boosts for you. you're going to love this one. drive-through graduations can sometimes be as emotional as traditional ones, here's how it went for a senior in north nashville who became overwhelmed at the sight of his teachers and everybody else who helped him earn that diploma. >> i've graduated! i love you! bye, miss bell. >> congratulations. >> thank you, thank you so much. >> congratulations, mama, did good. >> miss grayson, i graduated. miss grayson. miss grayson, i got it!

>> that is dontrel spencer, graduated from earl cone high school, it's hard to see in that video. he is tear stained. never thought he'd be in a cap and gown and all he wanted to do was share the joy and boy that one is worth watching, about ten times over again. congrats, dontrel, that's awesome. >> yes, you've done it again, hoda, you set me up. it's hard to top it. but i think this one will give you a smile. okay. a dad recreated his two daughters' favorite arcade game at home. home. now, we all love it. the claw machine, you know at the arcade well, here the claw is 3-year-old paris dad is holding her tightly by the ankles, lowers her carefully over a tub filled with prizes, that's the 11-year-old sister working the joy stick. a winner, every single time. a rush of blood to the head to

get the energy up as well. >> mom probably not there in the room, by the way, mom probably not a part of that. >> no, no. coming up next, guys, we're so happy he's joining us this morning, ben stiller, he'll talk about the life and legacy of his dad jerry who we all adored, cannot wait to catch up with ben this morning but first, these messages. how did kellogg's combine...

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and we always will. wityour money almostes offered feels like it's frozen. with capital one, you can open a new savings account in about 5 minutes and earn five times the national average. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? (director's voice) cue rachael ray. hey friends! today we're whipping up some delicious recipes. so? who's hungry? (barking, meowing) pets love rachael ray™ nutrish® and its kitchen-inspired recipes. with real meat, poultry or fish. rachael ray nutrish. real recipes. real ingredients. real good.® welcome ba welcome back in a few moments we will be moments we're going to be chatting with ben stiller, who's up with us this morning, got something special he's doing tonight and more importantly the close bond he shared with his father jerry who passed this week we can't wait to have a fond and warm remembrance of jerry

stiller in a few moments. let's get a check of the weather first. al >> all right, guys, let's see what we have, setting up for you for today. we are looking at a lot of rain down to the south. especially in parts of roanoke, virginia we're talking south of there, about 11 inches of rain, and that's a really big mess down there. we're also looking at temperatures that are going to be nice and warm, 80s and 90s for florida on into texas and parts of the southwest, heavy rain in the mid-atlantic states, strong storms through florida. sunny and warm out west with unsettled weather in the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're looking at sunshine across the bay area today. we'll continue to see that sun as we go into the rest of today. and our temperatures warming up inland reaching into the low 80s. for the east bay, concord will see a high of 80 degrees and

upper 60s for san francisco. as we go into the next few days, we're getting ready for a warm-up, reaching into the low 80s today and tomorrow. some upper 80s by the end of the weekend. that's your latest that's your latest weather savannah >> al, thank you. now let's welcome in a beloved hollywood star, actor, writer and director ben stiller. he comes from a family of talented performers, his mom an mira, and his father jerry stiller who passed away last week. >> i've got a beautiful record album, the pope's visit to new york she'll love it what did you get your mom? >> support stockings. >> honey, i love you. >> i love you. >> now can i drop this off >> are you kidding >> what clothes? >> i sold your clothes yesterday. >> you sold my clothes, what do you mean >> what the hell does that mean? are you jewish >> albanian orthodox.

>> what the hell is is that? >> can we get serious a moment >> sure, let's get serious, very serious. >> and ben stiller joins us this morning. good morning, hi, ben. >> hey, savannah, how are you? >> i'm good. you know, your father lived a great, long life but no matter how old you are you're never ready to lose your parents how you doing? how's your heart >> you know, it's a little sad, you know, because your dad's your dad but i feel fortunate, you know, that i had all those years with him. i think anybody who's lost a parent, their spirit sort of -- you feel them inside of you. and i really feel that i feel fortunate that i was able to be with him at this time. where a lot of people can't be with their loved ones. so when they're sick, and -- also i just want to say, sending lots of love to the cordero family, love and prayers to

them. >> so nice of you to think of them in this time as well. you know, everyone seemed to getting? >> he would have just wrap their arms around your dad this week, and all those hilarious clips and those memories what do you think he would have made of this fuss that he's getting? >> he would have loved it. he would have been very, very -. but, you know, he -- it filled him to be ablelt good he lived to perform. he was a very, very loving guy a very, very generous person generous to other actors and show people. but, you know, he -- it filled him to be able to perform and connect with people and to make people laugh i think this -- you know, he's a kid from the lower east side, grew up very poor. and to have the career that he had, i think he never stopped being amazed by it, or appreciating it. it really was a dream for him to be able to do it and to -- and then to meet my mom, and you

know they connected and fell in love and were married for, you know, 62 years they just had a beautiful relationship so i think for him this would have been -- he would -- i think he has a big smile somewhere. >> yeah. you know, everyone just absolutely loves your dad. they, of course, think of him as george costanza's father, and maybe people think that's the kind of father he is he was loud and over the top and bombastic. what was he really like? >> he was -- first of all, he never, ever yelled at me once, during my whole life he was very -- he kind of kept it all under the surface he was very overprotective, and loving i mean, like i remember as a kid the first time i walked to school, might have been in like, you know, probably like 1974,

you know, my parents would let us -- we would walk to school, maybe five blocks away, and my dad was nervous so he followed me and he literally followed me in a car. to the point where the police stopped him because they thought he was stalking me he was that -- he was, you know, very, very -- you know, he wanted nothing bad to happen to his kids and sometimes that could drive you crazy as a kid you need to sort of like live your life but he also was always there for us whenever we needed him. you know. >> and what did he think then when you got into the family business and you know obviously you've been incredibly successful in -- your mom's a comedienne, your dad was a comedian and here you go down that path too. what was that like >> i think that he was a little bit trepidatious

he knew how tough it can be. we grew up watching them do their work when we grew up they had made it to a point where they were working all the time he was a little concerned but he was the kind of guy that, you know, if somebody -- i remember that at one point about 15 years ago we moved back. i was living in l.a., and our family moved back and got an apartment in the building i grew up in, where my parents were living so they were -- it was -- they were living on the fifth floor and we were on the tenth floor and a movie came out, and it got a bad review that i was in, and there was a note slipped under my door the morning after, my dad saying i read the review in the "times," don't worry, i'm going to write to the guy and take care of it. that was my dad. and of course then also like a week later he showed up in our bedroom. there was no boundaries, really,

it was sort of like the ropers in that situation. that was him. >> that was a risk. >> yes, yeah but he loved -- >> before i let you go, you -- he -- you sent us this really cool clip of your mom and dad performing together.to go. ♪ but even i want to play it real quick before we've got to go. ♪ but even so after quite a few years ♪ ♪ it's nice to know >> ben, in just a few moments we have, what a love story, these two, they were magic. >> yeah, they found each other, and they were there for each other. and i know they're -- you know, i don't -- not to get too sappy, but i feel like they're connected again, you know. >> yeah. i think we're all hoping for that ben, sending all our love and

wrapping our arms around you and your sister and your whole family it was probably a little strange but i hope comforting in some way that we all are sharing your grief with you and just missing your dad thank you for being with us. >> it's been a beautiful outpouring t good morning. 8:26. i'm marcus washington. vta leaders plan to show off buses that should pay off immediately. for about six years, fares have not been collected due to concerns over safety for those drivers and coronavirus. but the agency recently hatched a plan to repurpose old pull-down plastic shades as a temporary way to keep those drivers sealed off from passengers. down the road they still plan to install plexiglas barriers. let's get a look at the forecast for you this morning. kari, it looks like it's going to be a sunny one out there for a lot of folks. >> yes, it's going to be a

beautiful day. and just slightly warmer compared to yesterday as we get a live look outside. we'll continue to see views like this around the bay area. in fact, over the next few days, but we're starting that warming trend with our high today in the upper 70s. low 80s for the inland east bay. up to 80 in napa while san francisco stays in the upper 60s. our seven-day forecast shows we'll see some low 80s today and tomorrow. for the valleys and then some upper 80s by the end of the weekend. but look at next week. we're in the 90s. it's going to be hot on memorial day. now back to you, marcus. >> hot one indeed. i'll have another local news update coming up for you in 30 minutes. we're all doing our part by staying at home.

that could mean an increase in energy bills. you can save by using a fan to cool off... unplugging and turning off devices when not in use... or closing your shades during the day. stay well and keep it golden. z3w6mz z1s6z y3w6my y1s6y

last night jimmy fallon was a kick last night, jimmy fallon was a kick. >> okay. >> be there tonight to check in on -- plus a performance from courtney barnett new "tonight show" at home edition tonight on nbc ♪ it's 8:30, it's thursday morning, 21st of may, 2020 good morning, everybody. sun shining on our plaza saying a big thank you to ben stiller for taking time to be with us and help us remember his dad jerry. he is taking part in tonight's

red nose special, he's in "celebrity escape room" with courteney cox, lisa kudrow, adam scott, jack black. it will be good. catch it on nbc, 8/7 central kevin hart, his tiktoks alone will help you get through the quarantine we can't wait to chat with him. >> i don't think he can hear us. >> did you hear -- >> kevin. if you're looking for something fun to do over the holiday weekend, well, why not go camping and why not do it in your own backyard oh, that's my backyard my family is going to give it a try tonight and our guy clint carter from men's journal, he's at my house right now, and he's setting up want to walk us through that that looks like quite the setup.

>> very fancy, very uptown. >> he's going to walk us through gadgets and gears that will make the family make the most of the experience that is one heck of a setup. i'm very excited now tomorrow guys we'll share the results. >> that sounds awkward did you know he was going to be there? >> i did, but i don't think i fully appreciated the nature of that setup i'm more excited than i was about camping outside. we'll have that for you tomorrow morning if we survive. >> you'll survive that tent. looks like it's got a master bathroom and air-conditioning. camping. i love it. melvin style. also tomorrow, everything else you want to know, to prepare for memorial day, we're going to have a round-up of the biggest sales, memorial day sales, what you should and should not buy right now it's not the start of summer if we don't have a barbecue bobby flay is giving us backyard grilling tips. looking forward to that. before we get to al's forecast we've got to say hello to the most beautiful crowd

ever, our virtual plaza crowd is here everybody's looking great. we want to give everyone a little second to have some air time on the screen so what's happening with a lot of families is, there are milestones happening, babies being born and family members haven't had a chance to see them yet. we would like to introduce everyone to twin girls blake and ford they turned 1 month old with their parents adrian and brett out of boston, massachusetts hi, guys. >> hi. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> so i guess your family members haven't been able to meet these two little beautiful girls? >> no, unfortunately not, hopefully soon they've only been able to see them on facetime and zoom so far. >> well, they're getting a nice good look today. those are beautiful babies, you guys thank you for sharing them with us this morning. we wish you all good luck, okay? >> thank you, hoda. >> shoutout to your family thanks, guys. >> i love the bows.

>> speaking of rearing two girls, is there a tom in the virtual plaza from maryland? there's a familiar face. his name is tom costello. >> i had to join you guys, not as an nbc correspondent, but as a proud dad because i've got two daughters graduating this week, virtually, like everybody across the country. so i had to give them a shoutout so i want to start with my younger daughter chloe, graduating with two bachelors degrees from the university of maryland, she's graduating cum laude, so we are super, super proud of chloe and then my older daughter, her older sister, charlotte, is graduating from johns hopkins university with her masters degree in nursing. so we are so super proud of both of them and so proud of all of the students across the country that can't walk across the stage and grab that diploma, shoutout to everybody thi something right, well done. >> thank you, tom.

congratulations. >> congrats to the costello girls. >> by the way for your chance to join our crowd, head to today.com/virtualplaza to sign up take one more shot. >> we've got to take one more look grandma and grandpa, a bunch of great folks, mike's 80, thank you all for coming twins are 12. >> wow. >> love it, love it. mr. roker, how's that memorial day forecast shaping up, sir? >> it's looking good but before i give that, i want to give a shoutout to my niece, ayana smith, doctor, just graduated from the university of pittsburgh and doing her residency at university hospital in cleveland i've got a doctor in the family. we like that. let's show you what we've got as far as your weekend weather. we start with tomorrow rain and storms in the midsection of the country, also in the mid-atlantic states into the northeast, look for damp and

cool conditions out west then on saturday showers and cool in the northeast, we've got spring storms in the central plains wet weather down through the gulf mild and dry out west. sunday, sunday, it will be cool but sunny along the east coast, strong storms in the midsection of the country all the way up into the mississippi river valley western third of the country stays dry. on memorial day monday cool and breezy in the northeast and mid-atlantic, heavy rain stretches from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf, hot and dry out west with the exception being, the puget sound in the pacific northwest with a few showers there. that >> good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a live look outside in walnut creek, a lot of sunshine. it's going to be a really nice day. it's a little warmer compared to yesterday with our high temperatures in the upper 70s. a few low 80s.

and we're going to see a big warm-up in our temperatures as we go into the holiday weekend. upper 80s by sunday and some mid-90s by early next week. looks like that hot weather sticks with us for a few days. >d and, hoda, a and hoda, a shoutout to terrence levin of our a.d., graduated from the university of pennsylvania we're thrilled about that. >> way to go, terrence al, thank you, honey. when we come back, the one, the only, kevin hart, but first,

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we're back with one of our very we're back with one of our very favorites, we're talking about kevin hart, he's a comedian, a movie star, he's an author, he's a ceo and now, you can add, life coach to his resume. kevin sharing some lessons from his remarkable life. it's an audio book, called "the decision," overcoming today's bs for tomorrow's success good morning, kevin, how are you? >> good morning, how you doing

>> look at you, a life coach, did you ever expect you'd have that title >> no, i think that's the beautiful thing about life you have no idea where you can end up or the path that you can take, until you discover it. there's a space of motivation and inspiration has been a discovery, it's something i've fallen in love with. it's a passion project it's something that i wanted to do i wanted to inspire, motivate. and inform i feel like that's something that's missing a lot, which is information. so if i have information, why not share it, give it, and give people the choice of looking at things through a different lens. >> kevin, i woke up this morning and listened to some of it i wanted to feel what it was about. i was pumped, man, wanted to put my running shoes you said this that struck me, you weren't supposed to be a movie star, you weren't supposed to be a ceo of companies, you went to community college for a

couple of weeks. how is it? what is the answer how is it that you turned out to be the guy we see on the screen today? >> you know what, it goes back to the title, you know i feel like in life we're in control of ourselves and sometimes that's something we don't take responsibility for. you know, you make your rights your lefts your straights, your u-turns et cetera. the things that you end up doing ultimately come from your personal decisions and with the wind within entertainment for me it was making the decision to say, okay, i'm going to take this serious. i haven't taken anything serious in my life thus far, and the craft of comedy was something i made the decision to say i'm going to focus and truly try to give my all. and actually work hard at something. and when i made that decision i

started to see rewards i saw the rewards from my hard work, from my efforts, from me really being determined to continue to go down that bumpy road and not give up and after making that decision, you know, you're forced into other decisions, doors are closed in your face, opportunities are lost, et cetera that decision is to stop or keep going, to take a break, or not as you're making these decisions you start to realize that, wow, if i hadn't made other decisions it would have prevented me from getting here this wouldn't have ended up the way that it did. so this story that i have, which is as transparent as transparent can be, it's personable and funny, but it's real. >> it is real. >> i think that, you know, in today's time if more people shared their journey, their story of how, you're going to answer so many questions that other people have. >> wow. >> i was going to say it's not -- to tell people to live

like me or do what i do, it's just to give you the information as to how it was obtained. >> i've got to tell you it's the perfect time to listen to this right now. i've got to tell you, i follow you on your instagram. your tiktok videos, come on. no, come on. we've got to -- >> my daughter. >> let's see. >> my little girl and my wife. >> oh, oh, come on, kevin. did you know that you had that in you come on. >> no. and i still don't know that i have that in me. that is me being a husband and doing what my wife says. or i'll get my head knocked off. >> you're about to be a family of six. >> yeah, yes i'm thrilled we're pregnant again we've got a little girl on the way. the whole family is excited. you know, we're adding another, another bundle of joy to this

household. so i'm ready for some more noise, some more yelling it's already loud. it's just going to get louder but it's a blessing. >> i love this too, craig, craig's not the only one camping out, kevin hart in the tent with the kids doing it. how was your night out there >> we didn't make it we didn't make it through the night. that's -- >> how far did you make it >> we made it till about -- we made it till about 1:00 a.m. 1:00 a.m., and i fell asleep i would have slept through the night but my kids got up and they were like we're not doing nothing, we're just sleeping, can't we just go back in the house? and i was like, that defeats the point. the point is, we're supposed to sleep through the night, we're supposed to stay in the tent all night until the morning and all we're doing is sleeping -- i was like that's the point, that's what camping is, you sleep in the tent i was like, just go, go in the

house. i almost tried to sleep out there to prove a point but i was a little relieved to get back in and get into bed. >> the melvin family made it to 7:00 a.m they made it all the way through. >> we're not that tough over here in our household. >> kevin, i've got to tell you, thank you so much. i have to say, this audio book is for grown folks, we should point that out too. >> yes, yes. >> but it's motivating and it's fun to listen to, it's your signature sense of humor it's called "the decision," out today on audible kevin hart, thank you so much, honey. >> thank you, guys, this is great, i appreciate you so much. >> we do you too. >> craig >> no one funnier in the world right now than kevin hart. not the camper, though. up next, a trip to the great outdoors, as kevin just mentioned, not easy. but i'm not sure if he had this setup. this -- wow. this guy is welcome at my house anytime. we're going to talk about ways to make safe memories with your

family over the holiday weekend. my family's going to give it a shot. >> give it a shot? >> i'll give some pointers on the best gear to have on hand. none of that stuff is mine i'm really excited now this is "today" on nbc