mateo bridge live look shows you it move and don't go to half moon bay or pacifica because the beaches are closed for the holiday weekend. >> that's right. play it safe out there, thanks for joining us. >> "today" show next. good morning. record surge. 14 states setting new highs for daily coronavirus cases. the president sounding an optimistic note in a new interview. >> i think that, at some point, that's going to sort of just disappear. i hope. >> the latest from the hot zones. and the hard to believe story out of alabama this morning. college students throwing covid parties with cash prizes for whoever gets infected. >> i think it is careless. it makes me mad as hell. >> the story just ahead. on track? encouraging news in the race to

develop a coronavirus vaccine. one of the first human trials showing signs of potential. >> this is a promising, encouraging, first step. >> what the doctor leading that trial is telling us this morning. demanding answers. congressional leaders set to be briefed on intelligence that russia paid to have u.s. troops killed. and from moscow, breaking news overnight, as the power play by vladimir putin could keep him in office for 16 more years. back to work? today's monthly jobs report smashing expectations. the u.s. economy adding nearly 5 million jobs in june. the unemployment rate falling to 11%. with restaurants and businesses can it last? wet wedding. a couple taking photos for their big day in california washed out to sea by a large wave. inside the dramatic rescue straight ahead.

those stories, plus, batter up! the boys of summer return to the field. our firsthand look at what the teams are doing to bring back baseball. today, thursday, july 2nd, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. welcome to "today." 7:00 a.m. on the west coast. hoda has the morning off. i did enjoy my time with you, craig, in studio 1a. i want to see my kids, so i'm working from home again this morning. we are starting with the stunning development in the jeffrey epstein case. >> this is a day a lot of people waited for. we learned his long time friend

who is accused of having involvement in his crimes has been arrested in new hampshire. let's get to justice correspondent pete williams. good morning to you. we're just learning about the arrest and charges. >> the charges have been unsealed. we got word from federal law enforcement officials, they arrested gill an maxwell, confidant of jeffrey epstein, youngest daughter of the british publishing executive robert maxwell and lived for years with epstein, but many young women said she played a role in facilitating his recruitment of young woman who were sexually abused, and claims about her role came into sharper focus last fall when court filings were unsealed, they included former ma sues, people regularly in his houses and described her in court documents as chief

enabler of jeffrey epstein's sexual predations. she described the allegations as rubbish. he was found dead in a jail cell last august where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. authorities believe he committed suicide. he was charged with seeking out young girls, some as young as 14, paying them for sex at his townhouse in new york city and vast estate in florida. even with his death, prosecutors said they were determined to carry on the investigation looking at anybody who may have been involved in recruiting or facilitating sex with minors. federal officials say ghislaine maxwell was taken into authority at 8:30 this morning living in bedford, new hampshire, savannah. >> pete, thank you so much on the breaking news. prosecutors are going to have a news conference later where we'll learn about the charges.

our reporting is that conspiracy is one of them, conspiracy and sexual abuse of minors. it is a significant development. >> savannah, here's the thing, someone who's covered this from the beginning, you spent time with one of epstein's accusers, it is hard to understate how significant a development this is. >> it is huge. when you talk to accusers, i interviewed many of them over the years, they said she was not just a recruiter or enabler but a participant in sexual abuse and trafficking of minors with epstein. the accusers waited all this time for something to happen with regard to her. many said why hasn't she been charged, what's the holdup. after jeffrey epstein committed suicide in jail and many accusers felt like justice was stolen from them, for some the arrest will provide some sense

of that justice. they wanted to see her in court. judging from the charge, conspiracy, it is a substantive charge, not a technical she was involved in the sidelines, it is a serious charge. as mentioned, the federal prosecutors are expected to say more later. >> should know more about the evidence in a few hours at a news conference. that's one big breaking news story this thursday morning. the other is coronavirus cases. >> yes, and they're skyrocketing, particularly out west. the country set a new record yesterday. the fifth time in eight days, craig. >> as cases explode, reopenings are being rolled back from coast to coast. overnight curfew. in california, they've shut down bars, indoor eating and movie theaters in 19 counties. in new york city, they're postponing plans for indoor dining indefinitely.

>> and of course, meantime, the trump administration is moving ahead with plans for a massive fourth of july fireworks display in the nation's capitol. 300,000 masks will be available on the national mall. people will not be required to wear them. we have a live report from los angeles in a moment. we start with another hot spot, miami. kerry sanders is there. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. the growing national crisis is reflected at jackson memorial hospital in miami. they cancelled future elective surgeries and are advertising for 80 additional nurses. urgent need as spread of coronavirus is reaching belief the virus will fade away. >> i think we'll be very good with the coronavirus.

i think at some point that's going to sort of just disappear, i hope. >> arizona reporting a staggering record, 4877 new positive coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours. nurses in phoenix overwhelmed. hospitalizations in the state hitting the highest level since the pandemic began. >> starting to look a little like new york did. >> the same stress felt at icus in california. >> no good news to share, just sadness. >> weeks after reopening, the governor locking the state down again. shutting all bars, indoor restaurants and movie theaters in 19 counties for at least three weeks as california notches another high. 6,402 new cases in one day. >> please, do not take your guard down. >> it is one of 14 states tallying record highs in the last week.

in tuscaloosa, alabama, some students have been attending dangerous covid-19 parties with the intent of spreading the disease. >> they're putting money up and purposely trying to get covid from the person that has covid, and apparently whoever gets it first gets the pot. >> in miami, businesses that don't follow safety guidelines could be shut for 30 days. lines to get tested so long it can take a full day of waiting. among those increasingly in line, people in their 20s and 30s. >> you can have it and you feel fine, but you can pass it along to somebody else. people are asked to keep a list of those attending a barbeque making tracing easier if someone gets sick. new york is showing caution as they delay indoor dining scheduled to start next week.

the holiday cancellations ruining a favorite summertime ritual for many. >> i want to be out here. they say the greatest concern is this weekend, people will ignore social distancing, go without masks, the fear is they'll begin to see people show up at hospitals like this about two weeks later. that's typically the lag time. >> kerry sanders for us in miami, thank you. there is some encouraging news this morning though in the battle against the coronavirus. new hope for a potential vaccine, and the science behind it could be revolutionary. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer joins us with details on this. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning. this experimental vaccine from pfizer really is cutting-edge medicine. it hopes to work by manipulating the virus' genetic code to boost the body's immunity. now, preliminary data is showing promising results. this morning, new evidence we

may be one step closer to an effective coronavirus vaccine. on wednesday, pfizer and its german biotech partner biontech releasing data on their experimental vaccine, showing spurred immune responses in healthy people. 45 healthy people between 18 and 55 took part in the trial. 24 were given two doses of the vaccine, all developed higher levels of antibodies than typically seen in recovered patients. nyu chief of infectious disease, dr. mark mulligan, is leading the trial. >> what we found is it produced an antibody response, including neutralizing antibodies, in 100% of people that received the vaccine. this is a promising, encouraging, first step, but it's not a slam dunk. >> reporter: more than half of patients who received a dose reported side effects, including fever and sleep disturbances

deemed non-serious by pfizer. yoga instructor melissa hahnkanen was one of the first healthy volunteers to get the injection. >> after the second dose, i felt a little achy and my temperature was elevated. i took a tylenol and felt better. >> reporter: pfizer's trial is 1 of 17 currently in effect around the world. it alters the genetic code, making the body make antibodies without exposing people to the virus itself. still to be determined, whether higher antibody levels lead to immunity to the virus. >> that takes time. you have to watch for a period of time before you can tell. it's too early to say yet. >> reporter: two more larger trials are needed before possible approval. researchers say further testing is also planned on a more diverse group of volunteers, including the elderly, people of color, and pregnant women. >> we need to do full-scale, phase three clinical trials in order to get a full sense of the

safety of these vaccines, as well as their ability to actually protect against infection. >> reporter: pfizer's final phase will test the vaccine on 30,000 people in the u.s. and europe. it'll take months to determine, though, if those vaccines given were protecting people, compared to those who got the placebo. pfizer also hopes to have approval by the end of the year, and says it can make up to 100 million doses by then. more than 1 billion by the end of 2021. savannah? >> all right. miguel, thank you so much. some breaking news tied to the economic toll of the pandemic that's encouraging. department of labor released the monthly jobs report. employers added 4.8 million jobs in june, the unemployment rate fella second straight month to 11.1%. stephanie ruhle joins us to break it down. these were good numbers. they reflect june, the month

that just passed. what do you think? >> listen, they're good numbers. it is good to see the economy start to recover, but remember, we lost 22 million jobs in march and april. that's the bottom. 7.5 million came back in june. those 7.5 million jobs are important, especially to those people and families that are back to work. but this is a long road ahead. the fact you remind us it is june is why it is important. think of what we have seen in the last two weeks. june is when we saw some levels of reopening across all 50 stal states and seasonal hiring and the ppp loan, people were spending and hiring. much of that support will run out in the month of july. in the last two weeks, you have been discussing it the last 15 minutes with other reporters, we're seeing spikes and closures again across the country. so you can't look at this number as the president does as a rocket ship, we're coming right back. yes, we are in a recovery phase

but it is a really complicated time. >> and people are very hopeful that the economy will continue to go up, but it depends on what happens with the pandemic. you mentioned and just briefly, do you know what might happen with some of the government benefits set to expire in july? >> listen, it's going to be interesting. we've heard from many republicans, they said people getting the $600 a week is incentivizing them not to go back to work. at the same time, treasury secretary steve mnuchin, jay powell said the country needs more support, more stimulus. congress is going to have to come together, make some sort of decision. come this month when federal housing evictions expire, when people have to pay their taxes, when we lose that extra $600, you'll see a big negative impact. with the election five months away, the president isn't going to want to see that for the american people. >> stephanie ruhle, our business correspondent on breaking news,

thank you. 15 minutes after the hour. craig, to you. >> let's turn to the latest on russia's bounties for killing u.s. troops in afghanistan. and when the trump administration knew about the intelligence. this morning, the demand for answers is growing on capital hill. the president is also now weighing in. peter alexander is at the white house for us. peter, good morning to you. >> good morning. the cia director and director of national intelligence are scheduled to deliver the highest level briefing about the u.s. intelligence to the gang of eight, group of bipartisan house and senate leaders expected in an hour from now. democrats nancy pelosi and chuck schumer on an issue the president dismisses as a hoax. he is yet to say what it could mean to his relationship with vladimir putin. with congressional leaders set to receive an intelligence briefing on reports that russia offered cash to taliban fighters

to kill american troops in afghanistan, president trump in his first public comments is explaining why he says he was not initially briefed. >> this didn't rise to the occasion, and from what i hear, and i hear it pretty good, the intelligence people didn't even, many of them didn't believe it happened at all. i think it is a hoax. i think it is a hoax by the newspapers and the democrats. >> still, the white house, state department, and some members of congress knew about it months ago.o des say has now been briefed insists if the intelligence is true, the u.s. will respond. >> if it did happen, the russians would hear about it and anybody else would hear about it that was involved. >> while president trump casts doubt on the credibility of the intelligence, his national security adviser says senior officials took it seriously enough to warn the pentagon and allies, and to prepare for a possible response. >> if this information turned out to be true, now we may never know, if it turned out to be true, we had options ready to go

and the president was ready to take strong action as he always is. >> house speaker nancy pelosi calls for tougher sanctions on russia over the alleged tion of >> he has undermined any credibility he may have had as commander in chief if he could call a possible assault on our troops, our men and women in uniform by the russians a hoax without even wanting to read about it. >> the national security adviser says the information was in the president's written daily briefing but it was the decision of the president's intelligence briefer, a career cia analyst, not to brief him verbally on unverified intelligence. still, current and former national security officials tell nbc news intelligence is almost always unverified and they argue it is not credible that a career government official would have ahead of the fourth of july as many cities across the country cancel celebrations due to the

surge in coronavirus cases, the president tomorrow heads to south dakota, set to attend a fireworks display at mount rushmore. the governor says masks will be handed out, but not required, says social distancing will not be enforced. >> peter alexander from the white house this thursday morning. thank you. it is 7:18. let's get a check of the weather. >> most of the country has above average temperatures. out west, it is comfortable. a little cloudy and gray in seattle area with moisture coming in on shore, but we are going to see lots of sunshine from the coast of oregon, down the coast of florida, too. inland areas dealing with warmer temperatures. obviously gets above 100 degrees in las vegas and phoenix, but along the coast, san francisco, 62 degrees.

med ford oregon, 68. and we have some clouds. today we continue with a lot of sunshine for most of the west coast, unsettled in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, we'll see pretty much more of the same. a good amount of sunshine for the western third of the country the western third of the country and scattered showers in the ♪ ♪ the western third of the country and scattered showers in the now is the time to support the places you love. spend 10 dollars or more at a participating small business and get 5 dollars back, up to 10 times with american express. enroll now at shopsmall.com. good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall.

let's head outside with a live look out there in the east bay checking out walnut creek. we're starting out with cool temperatures this morning and will actually be a little bit cooler today along with a stronger ocean breeze kicking up for today as our high temperatures in the tri-valley reach 85. we'll reach 82 in san jose and some low 70s in oakland. as we go through this forecast, it will warm up in time for the fourth of july. >> that's your >> that's your latest forecast savannah >> all right, dylan. thank you. just ahead this morning, we're going to head to spring training in the summertime, with players now reporting. teams are showing us how they've prepared for baseball's safe return we'll have a live report from yankee stadium. also ahead this morning, a new way to think about police i what's being done in one major city out west that's using mental health professionals to change the way that 911 calls are being answered first, this is "today" on nbc. [upbeat music] ♪ today was the day that i put everything in perspective. ♪

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puts cash back in your wallet. earn 5% cash back on everything you buy at walmart.com... mom! paper towels! ...including things for the science fair. what's in your wallet? good morning, it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia. here's a look at today's top story including a drop in unemployment for the month of june. >> good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. tomorrow is a federal holiday and we have the june jobs numbers early. 4.8 million jobs added to the american economy. unemployment falls to 11.1%. wall street very happy with those numbers. there are stillcans out of worke trends are certainly going the right direction. i'm cierra johnson in growing. folks growing concerned and they will not be allowed to reopen.

right now $2.5 million to keep the zoo afloat and they are running out of money. they are running on reserves and that money runs out in three months. they are turning to the county to allow them to open earlier as they did indoor museums. >> let's have a look at how we're looking today, i guess, to just go for a walk. >> yeah, we have to stay a little bit closer to home. we're going to see a breezy wind picking up this morning as cooler air moves in. we have seen that in san jose with clouds and temperatures a wit lower than yesterday with highs in the low 80s and mid-80s for the inland east bay and up to 82 today in santa rosa. as we go through this forecast a couple days of a break from some of that warmer weather and then we'll warm up again in time for the fourth of july. up to 90 degrees.

we'll also be warm, but not too bad here as we go into early next week. laura? >> looks so great, thanks so much, kari. we'll be back with another local news update for you in about half an hour.

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we're back at 7:30 it's thursday morning. that's a sight for sore eyes for baseball fans everywhere even if you're not a yankees fan, you want to see baseball go yankee stadium, of course, one of the stadiums that just welcomed back players. they're getting ready for the season, such as it is. it is going to be interesting to see how they're going to pull this off, craig. >> well, and the other major sports looking at baseball, as they decide how they're going to start their shortened seasons, as well. we'll have a live report also, how players are going to be kept safe, as well. let's get started with your 7:30 headlines we begin with the record surge

of coronavirus cases 14 states setting new, single day highs.arly 4,900 new positive cases in the last 24 hours alone hospitalizations in that state also hitting their highest level since the pandemic began in california, just weeks after reopening, the governor is locking the state down again, shutting all bars, indoor dining, and movie theaters in 19 counties for at least three weeks. also this morning, more than three dozen people were arrested wednesday as police cleared a protest zone in seattle. tensions were high as officers pushed those protesters out of the area known as the chop zone. demonstrators had been there more than three weeks following the death of george floyd. recent violence in the chop zone, including a pair of deadly shootings, led the mayor of seattle to issue an executive order to vacate the area now to that heart-stopping video that shows a couple swept out to sea during a wedding photo shoot. take a look.

this happened in laguna beach, california the couple was standing on rocks, posing for pictures, when suddenly, you see it, they're hit by a huge wave that portion of the video ends right there. >> wow. >> it picks up a few moments later, shows the bride and groom being rescued by life guards the bride had to be carried to shore. goodness. now to the welcome sight for thankfully, we're told, nobody was seriously injured. >> my goodness now to the welcome sight for sports fans that we were just talking about, the return of baseball players are arriving at their home parks for spring training 2.0, as they race to get ready for this shortened 2020 season nbc's stephanie gosk has made hallowed ground her way to yankee stadium. hallowed ground, unless you're a boston red sox fan hey, steph. >> reporter: good morning. i am a boston red sox fan, but it is still great to be here

when the yankees take thjust go. the team says they're going to be using the entire complex, including visitor dugouts and locker rooms, even the great hall where they normally hold parties for thousands of people. all of this to keep the players safe and give fans a ball game across the country, the diamond baseball players finally return to their home stadiums for spring training are being groomed. locker rooms and dugouts disinfected, as major league baseball players finally return to their home stadiums for spring training 2.0nd limiting practice to groups of five. what is it goin practice is kicking off today for many teams, including the philadelphia phillies. >> they have taken antibody

tests, covid tests you know what? i think players are so excited to get back, i think they will learn how to deal with this. >> reporter: safety measures are being implemented all across the league yankees players with masks on back in the bronx, where physicals now include coronavirus and antibody tests in seattle, the mariners are busy disinfecting their lies wiv light. the chicago white sox showed us their modifications, including dugouts with an emphasis on social distancing, and health screening sites that anyone wh enters the park will be required to pass through. >> the focus right now is trying to create a healthy and safe atmosphere so the players can come get themselves back into playing shape, then we can be back to playing games. >> reporter: with the new season set to begin in late july, players have three weeks to get started for the shortened, 60-game season, where no fans will be allowed in any of the stadiums the oakland a's getting creative, by allowing fans to purchase cardboard cutouts of themselves to be placed in the stands back in philadelphia, high hopes that the season will still be a home run is it your sense that this is going to feel like the baseball

we know and love >> i really do i think once we get past this initial stage of spring training, we're three weeks away, and we're going to do everything we can to pull this off. >> let's hope joe girardi is right. steph, here's the thing, i mean, what major league baseball is doing, how they're doing it, it's really different than some of the other leagues players in mlb are not going to be in a bubble, are they >> reporter: no, they aren't the nba is doing that. they're going to hold all games in orlando, severely and strictly limiting who goes in and who goes out for the mlb, the players are going to be going in and out once the games start, there will be regional travel there have been a few players who dropped out over concerns of covid. when i was talking to joe girardi, he suspects there may be more in the coming weeks before this season kicks off craig? >> few of the nationals players. by the way, steph gosk, the control room took note of your pinstripe mask there the red sox fan wearing the yankee mask.

steph, thank you. >> reporter: it is my best mask, craig. my nicest mask >> savannah? >> it's when in rome, you know >> that's right. >> as the romans do. coming up next, we have a fascinating look at the push for police reform. kate snow exploring a pilot program that's in denver, where mental health experts, not armed officers, are answering certain 911 calls. cities across the country are keeping a close eye on the results here we'll have the story right after this and here's how. with the ford promise. visit your ford dealer. finance a new, certified pre-owned or used vehicle through ford credit and if you lose your job, you can return it for up to one year from the day you bought it. you can also get 0% apr financing for 72 months across the ford lineup. let us help get you, back to it. with the ford promise.

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♪ ♪ now is the time to support the places you love. spend 10 dollars or more at a participating small business and get 5 dollars back, up to 10 times with american express. enroll now at shopsmall.com. we are back at 7:40 with "in-depth" today. the conversations happening around policing and calls for change in cities nationwide, savannah. >> yeah, craig. there's one idea getting support from reformers and from police departments. nbc's senior national correspondent kate snow has been looking into it. kate, good morning. >> reporter: good morning,

kate, good morning >> reporter: good morning, savannah studies say that at least 1 in 4 people killed by police officers have a mental health issue now, one major city is testing a program to have a behavioral health specialist and a paramedic, not armed police, respond to calls involving things like mental health crises, homelessness, or addiction. an experiment in police reform in the shape of this white van carleigh is a licensed addiction counselor in denver. she and a paramedic, chase, are part of the city's star program, support team assisted response >> star 1. >> reporter: it is a pilot program that happened to launch amid a pandemic and police protests. >> reporter: what are the range of calls you're seeing >> mental health, substance abuse. an self-identified crises we can go and handle that more appropriately than an officer. >> reporter: instead of sending armed police officers, 911 dispatchers can send carleigh and chase to low-risk calls.

sending the right response when someone calls in to 911 for help. >> it's something that we need as a whole, to help take the burden off our system. >> reporter: a study by an advocacy group found people with an untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be shot by police than those without one. >> we are tasking police with jobs that are really outside of their realm. we've put a lot on law enforcement's plate that belongs in the public health i think, like, community resource realm. >> reporter: which is what you are. >> exactly we're trying to right the historical wrong. >> reporter: rather than police trying to de-escalate a situation, this is escalation avoidance. no sirens or flashing lights first responders in street clothes. there is a reason, chase, you're dressed like this. >> our goal was to look less threatening and more like a community resource more of a community paramedic feel. >> reporter: it is a basic thing, but does it help to be in jeans when you approach someone? >> absolutely.

you want to look approachable. you want people to feel comfortable. >> reporter: it is a model that has a track record for more than three decades, the white bird clinic in eugene, oregon, has run the cahoots program. social workers respond to one in five emergency police calls there. an activist, roshan bliss, is fighting to reduce and fundamentally change policing as we know it he and others in the community work to bring oregon's cahoots model to denver. is the star van the first step in that change >> absolutely. it is a first step there are many first steps we see the star program absolutely as a way to start stepping down society's reliance on armed and badged people addressing all of our problems. >> reporter: he's had an unlikely but productive working relationship with the denver chief of police, who also wanted to bring the eugene idea to this larger, more diverse city, because his officers are overtaxed. >> this is a global movement that we're talking about here.

it is a tipping point. this is the time to re-examine, to re-evaluate, and re-imagine everything that we do. >> star 1 is available to respo. >> reporter: as we rode along with carleigh and chase, they were asked to help with a woman having dilutions. >> we tried to build rapport and de-escalate the situation. she ended up having to be transported to the hospital. >> reporter: after nearly 100 calls in under a month, they're starting to build a reputation . what have the reactions been in denver. what have the reactions been like >> the guy we transported last week, who was, like, who are you and what is this got really positive feedback he said, this is really cool this is comfortable. i feel like you guys really helped me today. >> reporter: for now, star is a few weeks into a six-month pilot phase. the hope is to build more teams throughout denver, become around the clock. those in the field note, guys,

that many 911 calls do still require an armed police response four out of five calls in eugene, for example. reformers and police clearly agree that having this option helps, savannah. >> yeah, and it is interesting to see the buy-in from the police, as well. i know it is just in the pilot stage in denver, but are other cities looking at this and thinking about doing something similar in their communities >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. when we spoke to police chief of the white berg in pazen in denver and chris hecht of the white bird clinic in eugene, who run the cahoots program, they both said a number of cities have been reaching out to them for more information, with questions about how to replicate this model >> really interesting look at that, kate thank you so much. appreciate it. 7:45 now craig, to you. >> with the holiday weekend almost here, lots of eyes trained to the skies dylan dreyer, how are we looking? >> exactly what i'm trained to tell you, craig. we are going to see, actually, some decent weather going into

the holiday weekend. tomorrow, it's all about the heat we are still looking at temperatures well up into the 90s. it'll feel like it is well into the triple digits, especially down through texas and into parts of the midwest some isolated, severe storms possible through the northern plains we'll see some pop-up storms in the northeast, too on saturday, fourth of july itself, look at this, not a whole lot going on scattered showers and storms along the gulf coast and florida, where you typically see them isolated, strong storms through the northern plains. in time for fireworks, unfortunately, it looks really clear for most areas across the country, but unfortunately because so many fireworks displays are canceled this year. we'll see partly cloudy skies in the northeast, great lakes, most of the western 1/3 of the country. isolated showers and storms down south and the northern tier of the country, too on sunday, the heat and humidity continues to hold strong storms continue through the gulf coast. it looks really nice in the pacific northwest.

good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we check out our high temperatures for today is going to be a really nice one for the bay area. along the coastline, we're in the mid 60s. most of the bay 70s today and some low to mid 80s for the inland valleys. so our temperatures will continue to cool off between today and tomorrow. by saturday, fourth of july, we're warming up. but it won't be extreme heat. highs up to about 90 degrees and more weather like this into the start of next week. >> and that's your latest forecast craig and savannah, back to you. >> dylan, thank you so much. still ahead, carson is going to be along. he has "pop start. big news about the return of a hit cartoon from his old stomping grounds at mtv. first, these messages. the new house is amazing. so much character.

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just ahead on this thursday morning, some new court documents from meghan markle's battle against the british tabloids what they're revealing in a live report from london and also ahead, ricky gervais is joining us live we'll talk about his life in quarantine at subaru, we're taking on distracted driving... ...with sensors that alert you when your eyes are off the road. the subaru forester. the safest forester ever. new color from sherwin-william. stop in or order online for curbside pick up, and get 30% off paints and stains, july 2-6.

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a very good morning to you. it's 7:56 i'm laura gar garcia. here's a look at what is happening now. >> i'm bob redell in fremont. t who refused to work over covid-19 concerns. they accused elon musk of coving up an epidemic in the fremont plant behind me. protest those and other issues outside the alameda county public health depart. i'm kris sanchez with the mask mandate. you've seen the push back and a new poll shows nearly nine out of ten people mask up every time they went out last week and transition rates slowed in states that enacted mask orders. the national mask mandate could save almost 5% of the gross

domestic product because countries with them had better outcomes. there are exemptions but don't buy a card because it's a scam. no government agency issues them. it is the start of a very nice day across the bay area. kari has a look at our forecast. >> we will be a little bit cooler, too, laura. we take a cool look out in san francisco and all clear with some sunshine and a stronger ocean breeze bringing in that cooler air for some of our inland areas and heading into oakland low 70s today and low 80s for the south bay and very seasonable weather for this time of year. we'll also have another day like this tomorrow heading into the fourth of july and a slight warm up with highs in the valley reaching up to about 90 degrees. upper80s on sunday and also wh francisco keeps those 60s for the most part. and some low 70s with more sunshine for the weekend forecast.

laura. >> looks great, thanks, kari. thank you for joining us, as well. another local news update in half an hour.

♪ it's 8:0 ♪ it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, h ♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, holiday at home. several states issuing restrictions ahead of their fourth of july celebrations, as coronavirus cases spike nationwide. >> it's starting to look a little bit like new york did. >> this morning, the new numbers, and what we're learning about a potential vaccine. >> this is a promising, encouraging, first step, but it's not a slam dunk. >> we're live with the latest. plus, heating up. what new court documents are revealing about meghan markle's ongoing legal battle against the british tabloids. why this letter between meghan

and her father is in the spotlight. ricky gervais. how he's been keeping busy and his new show, "afterlife." >> downplay you? >> yeah. >> how would that go? >> today, thursday, july 2nd, 2020. ♪ that's what you get for waking up in vegas ♪ >> good morning from vegas. >> we're celebrating ten years of marriage with the "today" show in vegas. >> we are vegas born and vegas strong. ♪ send out an sos >> hello, "today" show. it's the wagners from news 3 here in las vegas. >> home of the las vegas raiders. happy birthday, america, from america's playground. >> vegas, baby. >> vegas, baby, that's right. we got it. final stop on the "my today plaza celebrates america tour." thursday morning.

rise and shine. if you're just waking up, glad to have you with us. to honor a great american city, las vegas. >> hoda enjoying some time off. in her honor, what do you say we fire up the big board? there they are. >> let's go. >> filled with folks up early in america's playground, as just referred to. by the way, a special thanks to our friends at news 3 las vegas for helping us recruit all these folks to our virtual plaza. can't wait to share their stories and show them a little love in a bit. ♪ shake the glitter >> great to spotlight las vegas this morning. as we look ahead to the fourth, we can't wait for this tomorrow on "today." two american classics, hot dogs and harry smith. it's going to be good. >> it is going to be great. looking forward to that. harry will take us to iconic coney island. he'll take a look at the traditions that surround the holiday's favorite food. that means harry smith is going to be eating lots of hot dogs tomorrow. >> i know.

lucky guy. that's a good assignment. let's get to the news at 8:00. new records for coronavirus cases being set in more than a dozen states this morning. the president is weighing in on the situation in a new interview. nbc's kerry sanders joins us from miami with the three things to watch today. hey, kerry. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. hospitals here in the south and the southwest are preparing for a spike in coronavirus cases. this as 14 states hit a record in the number of single -- in the number of positive tests in a single day. meantime, as you noted, the president is saying that he is optimistic that the tide will turn, despite the lack of medical evidence. >> i think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. i think that, at some point, that's going to just sort of disappear. i hope. >> reporter: on the vaccine front, developments worth noting, that pfizer, working with the german pharmaceutical

company, has seen some positive tests in human trials. while company officials say they're optimistic, they do warn it is still very early in the testing phase. savannah? >> i'll pick it up there, kerry sanders for us in florida. thank you. top intelligence officials will brief leaders of congress today on those reports that russia offered cash bounties to taliban fighters to kill american troops in afghanistan. the state department, the white house, and some members of congress knew about the alleged payments months ago. wednesday, in his first public comments, president trump explained why he was not initially briefed on the matter. >> this didn't rise to the occasion. from what i hear, and i hear it pretty good, the intelligence people didn't even -- many of them didn't believe it happened at all. think it's a hoax. i think it's a hoax by the newspapers and the democrats. >> the president went on to say that if the intelligence does

turn out to be true, the russians and anyone else involved will, quote, hear about it from the u.s. savannah? earlier, we learned that ghislaine maxwell has been arrested. she was accused of recruiting underage sex partners for epstein. she's indicted on six charges. a news conference is scheduled for later today in new york. duchess meghan markle's privacy lawsuit against a british news organization is providing some new insight into her personal life. nbc's molly hunter joins us from london with the latest on this. molly, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning. that's right. nbc news has obtained court documents that the "daily mail" published in part before they were made public. as this case drags on, meghan markle's team makes it clear they believe her rights were violated and legal boundaries

were crossed. at the center of the legal battle, a letter from the duchess of sussex to her father, thomas markle, four months after he missed her wedding. according to meghan's filing, the "mail" on sunday questions her key denial. she says she had no idea her friends would mention the letter in an interview to "people" magazine. days later, the "mail" published it. meghan's team calling it a gross violation of privacy. meghan only learned about the "people" magazine article the day it was published, and learned who the anonymous friends were much later. in other assertions, meghan's team claiming that her wedding racked up tourism revenue of over 1 billion pounds for britain. more than $1.3 billion the documents also make numerous mentions of her mental health struggles, claiming she was unprotected by the royal institution. specifically vulnerable when she was pregnant now living some 5,000 miles away in los angeles, her royal

departure still making headlines. this week, "vanity fair" reporting meghan was a gung-ho, hard-working senior royal. conscious of taking the nextupl black lives matter movement. meghan speaking out last month. >> the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing. because george floyd's life mattered, and breonna taylor's life mattered. >> reporter: this week, harry forcefully calling out institutional racism >> unconscious bias must be acknowledged without blame, to create a better world for all of you. >> reporter: speaking on what would have been his mother, princess diana's, 59th birthday, he credited meghan with helping him better understand. >> my wife said recently that our generation and the ones before us haven't done enough to right the wrongs of the past i, too, am sorry sorry that we haven't got the world to the place that you deserve it to be >> reporter: now, certainly, a

sign of things to come as they launch their new organization, they will be working with social justice and racial justice groups. sources we're working closely with tell us to look out for specific work around hate speech and big tech craig? >> molly hunter from london. thank you. 8:08 now savannah guthrie, seems like it might be a good time for a boost. >> i think you're going to like this one, too. a doctor in the uk was doing a live tv interview on the bbc before long, it was her daughter that became the star of the show a restless little girl decided, you know what, this is a good time to arrange her artwork on the shelf behind mom >> scarlet. >> scarlet, i think it looks better on the lower shelf. >> what's his name >> do stop me. if you need to crack on, do tell us. >> what is your name >> my name is christian. >> christian

>> yes >> i'm just deciding where mommy wants it to go. >> all right where does mommy want it to go >> on that shelf is great. thank you. i'm so sorry >> the story was about the impact of lockdowns, and the anchor joked it was the most informative interview he'd done all day. i can definitely relate. little appearances here and there. >> i bet you can savannah, that was a good one. ahead on a thursday morning, on our inequality in america series, we're going to take a look at the racial divide in silicon valley former employees for big tech companies, including google and pinterest, coming forward to share their stories of discrimination at work that's right after this. -i like that, just not when it comes out of her mouth. -yeah, as a mother, i wouldn't want my kids to see that. -good mom. -to see -- wait. i'm sorry. what? -don't kids see enough violence as it is? -i've seen violence.

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hello, how are you? woah, is that shaq? hello? how are you little princess? what are you doing in a box? i'm a board member and a store owner of papa john's and this is my brand new pizza the shaq-a-roni. just by ordering the shaq-a-roni $1 from each pizza is donated to papa john's foundation to support communities, covid relief, the fight against racial injustice, boys and girls club of america, and general community involvement. thanks for the pizza, thanks for coming to visit us, shaq-a-roni in the house you guys smiling? i love you we are back at 8:30 with inequality in america, as the push for social justice continues to sweep the country, savannah

>> this morning, the focus is on silicon valley and new allegations of discrimination in one of the world's top industries nbc's tech correspondent jacob ward has more on this. jake, good morning >> reporter: good morning, you guys according to a recent poll, 42% of americans say they have either witnessed or experienced racism in the workplace. now, tech companies pride themselves on being disruptive and doing things a better way. when it comes to creating an inclusive culture for everyone, well, critics say they have a long way to go pinterest has a friendly reputation as a place to save the stuff you love erica banks left a good job to shape public policy there. the third member of the team, the white male manager who did the hiring, was paid for what -- was paid more for similar work >> i was brought in at a much lower level than i should have been for the work i was doing on behalf of the company, and the role my work had when i raised concerns, i was dismissed and retaliated

against. >> reporter: one example is when she recommended the company stop promoting slave plantations asir not exploring both sides of the issue. >> it was mind-boggling, like trying to search for things to criticize me for in my performance review performance reviews that effect your pay. >> reporter: tech companies sell themselves as progressive places to work, but they lag behind when it comes to racial diversity. across all private industries, 15% of american employees are black. major tech companies employ only a fraction of the number, between 3% and 6%. >> so you have this community that's very limited in who they think will be successful and who they want to fund and make successful >> reporter: ellen powell sued her venture capital firm in 2012 for gender discrimination but lost she advocates now for diversity in tech and says the industry has a common way of addressing the situations.

>> let's push out the person who has said something and spoken up about a problem and not the actual source of the problem let's get them to sign an nda and push them out of the company. >> reporter: banks says at pinterest, she was underpaid and punished for speaking out. >> my manager made comments about my race and ethnicity that were offensive, and hr, instead of dealing with them, began to retaliate against me >> reporter: both women filed suits against pinterest. the legal claims against the company have been resolved, and the terms are confidential in a statement to nbc news, pinterest told us, we never want anyone to feel the way they did. adding, the company will add a person of color to the board by the end of the year and wants to increase diversity, especially at senior levels it'll hire external experts to review employee compensation starting with people of color. at google, leslie miley worked as a director of engineering one of the most valued specialties in tech. as a black employee, he says he was repeatedly asked to prove he wasn't trespassing. >> i would be in a sea of people

everyone wearing their badge i would be picked out. the person puts his hand on my chest and says, "let me see your badge. i physically push the person off me it wasn't security, it was another googler. couple months later, similar incident happened. >> reporter: miley quit the company in 2019. in a statement, google tells us it'll end the practice of googlers badge checking each other and strengthen its commitment to racial equity and inclusion, including improving representation in senior leadership and promotion and retention. the experience at pinterest left these employees traumatized. >> i worked in the white house, high-stress environment. i've gone through a lot in my life i was homeless as a youth. this situation forced me to take anti-anxiety meds and anti-depression medication. >> reporter: powell says companies only change from the top. >> i see ceos talking about black lives matter, but they don't talk about changes they're going to make within their

companies, which are predominantly homogeneous white men running things >> reporter: pinterest announced it is retaining a law firm to conduct an independent review of the company's workplace culture. meanwhile, people of color we spoke to across the tech industry describe similar complaints an improvisational system of management mostly white male leadership and trouble making meaningful change when problems are raised, especially by the people who are being directly affected. you guys >> all right jake, interesting to really look deeply into one area, one sector that's so influential. craig? >> i realized -- i did not realize, i should say, how little representation there seems to be there in the tech industry jake ward, thank you for that. let's switch gears here and get a check of the weather dylan dreyer in for mr. roker again this morning what are we looking at now

>> good morning again. well, we are going to see another round of storms today fire up across parts of the northern plains. that's an area we'll watch later this afternoon right now though, it is fairly quiet. we've got a couple of scattered showers and storms down through alabama and mississippi. we are really seeing fairly clear skies across most of the country, except for the pacific northwest. also dealing with a few scattered showers and storms because of those clouds, the temperatures will be down in the 60s. most areas today, 60% to 70% of the united states will be dealing with temperatures well up into the high 80s and 90s, even 100s through the southern plains humidity will make it feel hotter than that we have heat advisories for that part of the country, especially down across texas, into oklahoma and parts of missouri, too we're looking at a chance for stronger storms this afternoon redevelop back through new england. it is hot and humid back through the great lakes and the appalachians >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as you get ready to head out, you may notice it's a little more breezy and cooler.

we've also seen clouds overhead. looking live in san jose, clouds continue to clear out. we're in for a really nice afternoon with highs in the low 80s. the mid-80s expected today for the inland east bay, while the coastal areas will stay in the mid-60s. we'll also have another cool day tomorrow but it warms up slightly in time for the fourth of july. back to you guys. >> all right dylan, thank you look who joined us carson daly. >> good morning. >> that means it is time for "pop start." you'll start with something that we can't believe it took this long. >> i know. we'll have a lot of "today" show fans excited about this. some of our crew in the control room will be especially excited about this they're back "beavis and butt-head" making their return they're getting the reboot treatment with not one but two new seasons from comedy central. mike judge back to voice both characters instead of just new episodes of the show that aired in 1993, it'll be an updated version for

the modern world it'll be, quote, relatable to both new and old fans, gen-x parents and their gen-z kids one thing that won't be different, i hope, are the laug. signature laughs it's funny every time. >> it is. >> mike judge, of course, also created "silicon valley" and "king of the hill. mike said it seemed like the time was right to get stupid again. >> america needs beavis and butt-head right now. >> they're coming. get ready. next up, "pop start" exclusive this morning seth rogen has a new movie coming out called "an american pickle." we've got a first look at the trailer. the premise? it is a bit odd, so go with me on this. his character, living in 1920, falls into a vat of pickle

juice, perfectly preserved the science checks out on that wakes up in 2020, only to befriend his great grandson. wait for it, also played by set >> i'm sure this aged well. >> if man does not throw punch, it is because this man secretly has polio arm. do something throw your punch. >> they cured polio. jonas. >> is this your father >> david bowie >> your mother >> david bowie the whole poster is david bowie. >> has that eddie murphy as -- seth rogen taking on all characters in "the american pickle." the trailer is online tomorrow anybody else tries to pull that off, i'm skeptical seth rogen, i'm in >> might be the only guy.

elton john has taken the wraps off his latest project, "the classic concert series. every saturday for the next six weeks, elton will be releasing the full concerts from some of his biggest performances throughout the years right on to youtube. all proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the elton john aids foundation overnight, elton released a snippet from the huge concert in 1976 in scotland ♪ ♪ saturday, saturday ♪ ♪ saturday, saturday ♪ saturday night's all right >> sit back, relax weren't there in 1976. you were not probably born, craig. i was young. you can relive the magic on youtube. savannah, you weren't either oh, you were, but you were young. >> i was. >> barely. you were barely here. next up, casting news on "pop start" today. news we weren't expecting. jason momoa will be playing frosty the snowman

>> huh >> that's right. this is the guy known for "game of thrones" and "aquaman." he'll come to life as a cg frosty in a live-action movie. screenplayed by the writer of "elf." great news a lot of questions still out there though will frosty have long hair >> no. >> six-pack? >> no. >> tattoos >> no. >> we'll have to get answers to those questions eventually i'm still in on the idea though. >> this is quite the hodgepodge of "pop short. >> yeah. >> beavis and butt-head to jason momoa as frosty. >> something for everyone. ending it with "queer eye. great show they went to philadelphia for their most recent season before leaving the city of brotherly love, they had one more task. that is giving flyers' mascot, gritty, a makeover some things are perfect the way they are >> cute. >> hmm

>> i think we can do better. oh, my gosh. you love it. you know, i can't lie, you look pretty darn great. you really do. however -- >> there's gritty. one thing they can't change, gritty's love for philly cheesesteaks who can blame him? spent time with gritty he visited the "today" set >> was that gritty i thought it was a different mascot. >> maybe it was. >> i think it was a different one. >> i think it was a different mascot. >> what is the other philadelphia -- >> phanatic. >> phillies. >> who also could use a little tlc, a little trim here and there, but also is beautiful just the way he is. >> both of the mascots look like they've been in quarantine for many, many, many, many -- this "pop start," as bizarre, collectively, as the entire plot of "an american pickle." >> that was the best "pop start"

we've had in a while though. >> i know. where do they come up with that? >> we're not done yet. we have more laughs on this morning. >> more? >> that's right. ricky gervais is here. we're switching to the seven-second delay he's going to join us live after your local news. good morning. 8:26. i'm marcus washington. chp looking for the driver involved in a chaotic early morning stop that led to gunfire. this happened near 880 in hayward. officers responded to a call about a man passed out in a car. they found out that car was reported stolen on tarman and jackson. when they arrived, officers found that man still sleeping, and then they set up spike strips. the driver hit the gas as he came to, almost hitting one of those officers who fired once. the officer landed on the spike strip and was hurt trying to get out of the car. the car did get away and it's still not clear if the driver was hit. let's get a look at that forecast for you today. meteorologist kari hall is

tracking those temperatures and setting up to be a nice day for us, kari. >> yeah, a couple of really great days for the bay area. slightly cooler temperatures. and as we take a live look outside in the east bay, walnut creek starting out with a cool morning, but we'll head into the mid-80s today. for the south bay, a high of 82 degrees and 76 in palo alto. oakland in the low 70s. mid-60s along the coast and north bay highs up to 82 in santa rosa. we'll see more weather like that tomorrow and heating up a bit for the fourth of july. >> thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. businesses are starting to bounce back.

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russell wilson, sierra, the tonight shoet at home. and welcome back. it is 8:30 now on this thursday morning, july 2nd, 2020. it is the last day o it is the last day of the work week for folks, with the holiday weekend almost here. >> yeah. sun is shining on our corner of the world. one place people are already celebrating, las vegas >> always a celebration there,

that's for sure. check out the my today plaza crowd in the final stop of the cross-country tour, celebrating america. anxious to chat with them, share their stories. there are good ones. one in particular, tell you about a small business owner that got creative for kids staying home with a big reason to smile. also ahead, we have a comedy superstar with us. ricky gervais whose series "afterlife" series is a new show how he is spending time in quarantine as well >> first, another show that's gotten hot on netflix now, "floor is lava." it was just released a couple weeks ago, one of the most watched in the country gad ee has the story on it

good morning that's the camera there. the mission is to make it acrossacross the lava that's the lava there. basically you just have to safely make it over all of the mole ton lava, here we go, and bam. that's it. that's "floor is lava. that's why this show is such a success. people around the world are playing along. here's what it looks like. >> why because the floor is lava. >> with fans falling hard for the game made with memories of our childhood. don't let the lava get you ost, rutledge wood.

>> rutledge, in the flesh. >> facing a tough challenge. you did it >> what's it like for the country playing "floor is lava." >> it is funny to see kids and parents watch together, laugh. what the world needs more than anything is laughter. >> that's what gerald smith found when he and friends gave it a shot. >> great time. this is like the ultimate sports competition. >> you wonder where you go when you fall in the lava >> what was the lava like? >> i mean, it is hot for one, it is lava. >> rutledge gets the same question. >> i don't know if we'll ever know, gadi, unless you and your wife want to come try out. >> yes we will fall into the lava on purpose for the sake of journalism >> you could invite melvin craig would be great

>> you see his magazine spread >> you know i did. >> that should be reason enough for a possible season two. >> as for that, no official word rutledge says if enough watch, there's a good possibility craig, you have to start training now i don't want to have to carry this >> i'll let you and your wife do it, but i love rutledge. that's a cool show i am called out. i can't do it. i have a bad back. >> funny doing that in a suit, too. >> thank you, thank you. thanks to rutledge as well >> you have the strong core. >> used to maybe, before the pandemic now it is weak and soft core dylan dreyer is in for watcy that game every day. it's running back and forth on mr. roker.

>> i think i have that with calvin all day we have to add lava to the mix it will be a hot one across 60, 70% of the country heat advisories through texas and arkansas air temperature close to 100 it will feel like 110 in areas like little rock hot and humid, stretching through the upper midwest, through the great lakes, temperatures in the upper 80s, low 90s. feels like the mid 90s it is fairly calm across new england. an area of low pressure finally pulls away we will see more strong storms fire up later this afternoon same story for tomorrow. we are looking for more oppressive heat through texas. could see some thunderstorms producing some very torrential downpours when you consider how much humidity is in the air. it is almost tropical like you'll see tropical downpours. severe storms in the northern

plains through north and south dakota out west, there's one area where temperatures are below average the clouds contribute to that. pacific northwest, temperatures in the 70s we're looking for highs in the 60s and 70s in california. in florida, hot and humid. feels like over 100 degrees. scattered showers and storms in the mid-atlantic, temperatures in the 80s and 90s again, that humidity makes it >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we check out our high temperatures for today. we have a range from the mid-60s near the coast to 70s for the inner bay. and some mid-80s for the inland valleys. this is the kind of weather we'll see tomorrow. just slightly cooler in a few spots and then we warm up in time for the fourth of july with highs up to about 90 degrees. some upper 80s on sunday. no extreme heat in this forecast. we'll warm up slightly for the holiday. this morning's jobs report reflecting 11.1% unemploy craig?

>> dylan, thank you. coming up next, we are all in for the final stop of our cross-country tour, celebrating america. there they are they're ready, too we're going to vegas, baby our my today plaza crowd up early, fired up, ready to go we'll do it right afte

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and make it a double for a buck more. order now with no contact delivery. for the last two months for african-americans and that's a lot. we are back with our special series leading up to the fourth of july, "my today plaza" celebrating america. >> we started in pittsburgh, then we moved on to chicago. this morning, we've got a west coast crowd. they are up extra early to be with us. >> let's turn on their mics. america, say good morning to las vegas! give it up, vegas! thank you all for getting up we see you we love you. we hear you. what a great town. we're going to talk to a few of you. where is justin booma? i see the booma watson family up

there, center bracket. we have justin and his mom, raquel joseph auntie is up early grandma cynthia is up. justin, you are celebrating a milestone. what is it >> celebrating my birthday >> yeah! >> whoo. >> fifth birthday and graduated kindergarten, is that right, justin >> yay. >> congratulations, buddy. you made it. we're proud of you i'll switch gears to auntie ria. what is it about your city of las vegas that your family loves so much? >> oh, my gosh let me tell you, we love the weather. right, vegas we love that you can go 30 minutes or an hour in any area or part of the city and get to the mountains, the snow, the

water and ski, hike the beautiful red rocks. of course, we love our nation, native americans you can go golf. it is amazing. enjoy the incredible las vegas strip. >> sold! the vegas tourism board is going to be calling auntie ria for a gig there. it is a tri-heat, we understand. justin, congratulations. birthday and kindergarten graduation i hope you play baseball with a name like booma, you'll,e going to be a force to be reckoned with. >> auntie ria may work for the chamber of commerce. where is carleigh turner >> hi! >> there's carleigh. i love the balloons. we'll explain why your balloon arrangement is so fantastic in a moment carleigh is a small business owner who, despite challenges of her own during this pandemic, she still made sure kids in and around vegas

can celebrate big moments. here's her story >> reporter: for carleigh turner, celebrations are her life's work. she owns a business called celebrations by carleigh when las vegas closed with coronavirus concerns, carleigh made it her mission to give kids across the valley a reason to smile. >> what? >> reporter: providing free balloon bouquets on their birthdays in quarantine. >> i just threw it out on my instagram and said, "hey, anyone has a birthday coming up, message me don't worry about paying we want to do something good. it caught fire >> reporter: she spent days and nights creating floating masterpieces. >> we woke up and did balloons ate and did balloons. >> reporter: the price was worth it to put smiles on faces. thanks to enthusiastic assistants, her daughters olivia

and molly. >> we love to help, and we're really excited >> i like that it makes people happy. it's kind of like a scary time >> we could have never done it without the whole vegas community coming together. some days we reached 20 children in one day, so i just feel so much gratitude >> nice job. >> carleigh is joined by her husband, ted, there. there's ted. olivia and molly olivia and molly also there. so let's -- carleigh, let's start with why this was so important for you to do in the middle of all that's happening in our country right now >> well, i felt like in the beginning, there was so much fear and unknown everyone's schedules were thrown kids were home from school there was fear in the air. the first balloon delivery we

did was just to a friend we found out that she was having a birthday party with no one invited.ctually my daughter's idea, and she wrote her this little note that said, "when i found out no one was coming to your party, i told my mom to make balloons because my family sticks up for you guys." it just warmed my heart. i just -- we brought the balloons to the family, and we brought them up and came in our car and yelled "happy birthday." we could see the joy on their face we felt so happy we went home, and we were just on this high it was such a scary time, and i thought, okay, how can i replicate this how can i do this tomorrow how can i create this for my family, for someone else tomorrow i threw it out on instagram. the response was unbelievable. >> well, you've got two great helpers there, too, olivia and molly. >> yes. >> girls, what's it been like helping mom spread so much joy and cheer over the last few months >> it's been fun

>> awesome >> awesome. >> that'll work. >> by the way, we should mention ted, as well you're a pharmacist at the va there in southern nevada i imagine you've been going pretty much nonstop for the last few months >> yeah, it's been busy. >> have you been able to help out with the balloons at all >> yeah, it's been -- on a couple of them, yeah it's been really fun for me. it's been a positive thing to do i'm very happy >> all right thank you. >> great story, guys >> molly, good to see you. olivia carleigh, way to go. thank you. thank you so much. >> thank you >> let's bring back the big board one more time. >> bring it back, vegas. >> vegas, we love you. >> vegas strong. let's go raiders >> the henessey family >> savannah guthrie, america's playground. >> i love it >> hard to pick the best

>> auntie ria. i'm booking my ticket to vegas based on auntie ria alone. i love the stories. >> didn't mention the tax break. >> it's true >> i know. you know i love the dry heat >> great city, vegas >> pittsburgh. >> yup >> so good guys, coming up next, get ready to laugh and maybe put on the old delay. ricky gervais is going to join us live. first, this is "today" on nbc. this home is equipped with gig speed internet from xfinity. there's this game-time internetting room. so fun. and then there's this work-from-home internetting room. finally, the open-concept internetting room. this is not an open house. but your front door was open, so technically it is. get gig speeds and the most wifi coverage from xfinity.

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welcome back co-creator of the original version of "the office" in britain, host of the emmys, ricky gervais knows how to make an audience laugh and, yes, sometimes cringe he shows a vulnerable side of himself in "after life," a dark comedy on netflix. he plays a widower, trying to become the person he's always wanted to be, with a little help from his friends take a look.

>> i'm gasping >> come in >> what? >> nothing >> oh, i just let myself in. >> well, some would have knocked. i could have been naked. >> i could see through the door you weren't naked. >> doesn't make any sense. if i had been naked, you'd have looked through the door and seen me naked. >> yeah. and i wouldn't have come in. >> but you would have seen me naked. >> wouldn't have bothered me >> that's all right then >> ricky, good morning it's good to see you >> how is it going >> hi. good so you're there in london. you're all, you know, shut in like the rest of us. what have you been doing how are you? >> well, i'm a writer so i've been doing that. i've been playing badminton. the evenings haven't changed i'm always on the sofa with a bottle of wine watching netflix by 6:00 p.m. that hasn't changed. >> yeah.

>> yeah, >> so you won't hear me complain, not when there's nurses out there working i'm fine. >> i think you're thriving sounds like you're thriving, if you're with the bottle of wine and the tv at 6:00 p.m have you acquired any new skills some people are using this time to learn to cook or play the piano or anything like that. >> no. i've just been enjoying -- it has been like a holiday for me i haven't had a holiday really for about 30 years it is great. no one comes to the house. i can get out of any social occasion me. i don't have to lie. it's made me a more moral person because i used to have to lie to get out of weddings and christenings now i can go, pandemic sorry. so, no, it suits me. >> i know. i have to tell you, i kind of have had the same thought occasionally it has taken away all the exhaustion of cancelling plans, you know for those of us who are

homebodies secretly anyway, it kind of works. >> yeah. there's more hours in the day. i don't have to get up and get dressed. i mean, i'm dressed -- well, only from the waist up if i stood up, you'd be taken off the air. >> stop it i'm so tempted to call your bluff, ricky, but it's you, so i'm just going to say, "stay right there. >> i am wearing shorts can you see? i'm wearing shorts. >> oh, my god. oh, good okay, nice legs. i'm not wearing shoes. i'm working from home, too i could show you my feet, but i haven't had a pedicure in five months nobody wants to see that tell me about season two of "after life. this was a huge hit. isn't it the number one comedy in britain >> well, it was the number one british comedy in the world, i think. >> wow. >> it is more of the same. he is going through the stages

of grief you know, in series one, he was going through sort of shock, anger, denial. now, he's saying, okay, if i'm going to stick around, what's in it for me? ask the big question, if you lose everything, is life still worth living that's the series. yeah, he lost the love of his life he wants to punish the world he tried everything. he tried violence, drugs that didn't work now, he's trying kindness. but it's tough i should say, it is funny. i know it is about a very dark subject, but it is very funny. his anger is funny the way he deals with people is funny. and i think we live vicariously through his candor he says what we all wish we could say, but we mustn't because we'd get in trouble. but he doesn't care. it's fun to watch. >> it's kind of like you, ricky. i was thinking, only you could

make grief funny and amusing you pull it off in the show. i have to ask about sweet, lovely, long-suffering jane, your partner of many decades now. i see that you're still poking fun at her on instagram. pretending that she has no friends, when she definitely does how is she handling all of this extra time with you? >> well, she's a novelist, okay? usually, she gets the house to herself in the day because i have authors in town i have meetings and stuff. now, i'm home all the time, so i keep hearing this from jane. i keep hearing, "okay, shush, darling. let me just finish this sentence." for her, it is like having a toddler home >> i'm lighting a candle for you, jane. we really do ricky, thank you for com again, season two of "after life" is streaming on netflix. >> the last few seconds, what

would they think if they tuned in right when you said that? >> true, true. actually, i don't think they'd be surprised at all. they might be surprised that you are wearing pants. ricky, good to catch up with you. >> bye >> we're back in a moment. [upbeat music] ♪ today was the day that i put everything in perspective. ♪ ♪ i fell asleep but when i woke up. ♪ (boy) hi, do you want to share my sandwich? (vo) good feeds our connections. good feeds us all. hormel natural choice lunch meats.

third hour ahead something special on "hoda and jenna. live interview with legendary willie nelson. first, your local news good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. tesla in fremont, the workers plan to protest later today over what they claim is mistreatment during the pandemic. they accuse tesla of firing workers who refuse to work over coronavirus fears and say ceo elon musk is covering up an epidemic inside the plant. they want to shut down that

plant for a deep cleaning. among other demands, they are asking for alameda health department to administer contact tracing. tesla so far not commenting. that protest is scheduled for noon. this is outside of the county health offices. happening now for you, we'll have more for that during our midday newscast. link to the back story right now from our home page. encouraging economic signs this morning with the monthly employment numbers. the june report came out early. unemployment slid to 11.1%. this is down 2 percentage points from may. the economy added more than 4 million jobs, and stocks are trending higher. the situation apparently becoming dire for the oakland zoo. it's been closed since march. to our home page for the ts full details and what needs to happen before it can reopen. businesses are starting to bounce back.

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live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good thursday morning, everyone welcome to the "3rd hour of today. craig melvin in studio 1a. dylan and sheinelle continue to work from home al roker on vacation this week ladies, nice to see you, wring nice summer colors. >> good morning. >> morning. >> oh, we are. look at that. >> let's start with an update on the american economy the june jobs report, it just dropped moments ago. it actually beat estimates by a wide margin. u.s. employers added 4.8 million