see you back here tomorrow morning and coming up in a bit for one of our cut-ins at 7:25. the "today" show is up next. have a great morning. good morning, breaking overnight north korea launches two banned ballistic missiles, the first major provocation of the u.s. under president biden, and months before the tokyo olympics. this morning the red line crossed by kim jong-un, and the question, how will the white house respond. the crisis up close, our firsthand look inside one of the border facilities where hundreds of migrant children are being held, the crowded conditions

captured by nbc news cameras and the concern over positive covid cases. while vice president harris is named to lead the u.s. response. >> it's our responsibility to deal with it humanely. >> we'll have the very latest. honoring the fallen, overnight an emotional vigil for the ten people killed in the mass shooting in colorado, their loved ones speaking out to celebrate their lives. >> she was my favorite person. she was the best. >> the touching tributes. and the latest on the investigation as the accused gunman faces a judge for the first time today. under fire again, embattled governor andrew como faces a new scandal, reports he gave family members including his mother and brother special access to covid tests at the very start of the pandemic, his response straight ahead. back to school, the white

house pledges $81 billion to speed up the return to the classroom. can it be done safely with some cities seeing the largest increase in coronavirus cases in five months. we'll ask the director of the cdc. all that, plus out of the dog house, major and champ's return to washington after that incident with a secret service agent, the new skills they picked up after a rough start at the white house, today, thursday, march 25th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today," it is a real business thursday morning, so happy you are joining us. savannah as we have been saying all week is off on the west coast. she has a special project that we will talk about soon. >> we have a busy thursday morning. let's give you a look at the time line for today, show you how it's all going to play out. at 10:15 eastern, a suspect in a

boulder shooting rampage is expected to make his first court appearance. we'll have the very latest in a live report. just after 1:00, president biden will hold his first news conference as president. he's expected to get a lot of tough questions on a lot of topics including north korea, the pandemic and the situation threat will move across the south with more than 33 million people at risk. al roker is standing by to track all of that for us. >> let's begin with the breaking news overnight on north korea, the regime test firing its first ballistic missiles since president biden took office. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us with the very latest. hey, richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, north korea is setting a new tone with the biden administration. it's firing missiles, which is

how it shows its power and its anger. this is what set off north korea, u.s. and south korean military exercises. they happen every year, they always upset the north, which sees them as preparations for an invasion. president trump had scaled back the exercises. kim jong un is now showing his displeasure. first, with a small step firing two cruise missiles into the sea over the weekend. no restrictions on that. president biden shrugged it off. >> according to the defense department, it's business as usual. >> so kim jong-un escalated, overnight launching two larger ballistic missiles into the water. under sanctions, north korea is banned from using those. it's a far cry from the chummy relations between president trump and the north korean strongman. trump even made an impromptu visit to north korea. >> a lot of progress has been made, a lot of friendships have been made. >> reporter: those cozy

relations did calm things down at times. but u.s. intelligence officials say they did not stop north korea from advancing its weapons program. and when talks failed between kim jong un and president trump at a summit in vietnam, north korea fired missiles then, too. >> richard, you mentioned that president biden sort of shrugged off that last missile. does anyone think that this is kind of north korea flexing its muscle and pushing back? >> north korea is absolutely flexing its muscle, the biden administration is in the final stages of creating a new north korea policy and i think kim jong un is trying to show that it has power, that it does not want to be pushed around. the north korean leader's sister is also playing an increasingly prominent role there, and she's been taking a hard line saying that the u.s. should not cause a stink in the region. and this tension comes just four

months before the olympics are held in asia in japan. >> yeah, something we've got our eye on. all right, richard, thank you. again, we do expect the president will be asked questions about this during his news conference later today, and nbc will bring you live coverage. another major crash is facing the u.s. this morning. the surge at the southern border. this morning, we have a new look at one of the government facilities housing nearly 800 unaccompanied minors. nbc's gabe gutierrez was the only reporter allowed inside that facility, and he joins us this morning. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning. reporters have been asking to see these facilities for weeks. the children we saw here were calm, and they appeared to be in good spirits, but the backlog at the border is growing. it's a firsthand look at the scramble to find space for unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border. here at this facility in carrizo springs, texas, 766 teen boys are waiting in an immigration

system being pushed to its limits. >> we came like at the very beginning. >> reporter: after mounting pressure on the biden administration, our camera was allowed in. we saw the intake center where children are given a duffel bag of clothes and a medical screening, including a covid test. 108 of them, or 14% have tested positive. here are their bunk beds, four assigned to each room. we saw a dining hall, classrooms, and an outdoor recreation area where they played soccer under the bright texas sun. the buses with migrant teenagers head down the long dusty road and turn into the facility right there. the teenagers don't know how long they'll be inside. once an unaccompanied child is picked up at the border, they're sent to a facility run by customs and border protection. processing there is only supposed to take up to 72 hours. for some children, it's taking much longer. right now, nearly 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children are in cbp custody. after that, the children are taken to facilities like the one

we saw, run by the department of health and human services until they're placed with a relative or sponsor in the u.s. more than 11,000 are in hhs custody. >> conditions are clearly better but it's never right to have 766 kids in any place together. >> reporter: unlike president trump, president biden has allowed unaccompanied migrant children to stay in the u.s. >> was this facility opened as quickly as possible? >> yes. when we came in, the previous administration had not put in place certain protocols for covid and also plans for bed space. >> reporter: now, vice president harris is being tasked with leading diplomatic efforts in central american countries to the last administration but it's our responsibility to deal with it humanely. >> gabe, you have been covering the situation at the southern border for a number of years, the only reporter allowed inside

that facility on wednesday. what struck you the most as you walked around? >> reporter: yeah, craig, it's really the monumental task of getting all of these children placed with either a relative or a sponsor in some parts of the country. officials here are trying to get them to some sense of normalcy. we should point out those images of overcrowding, that's not this facility. that's custom and border protection processing centers and the biden administration still has not allowed access to those yet. >> gabe, thank you. now to the latest on the shooting rampage in colorado. the ten victims were honored at a candlelight vigil, their loved ones sharing powerful stories and tributes to their lives. as the investigation moves forward we're getting a better picture of the gunman's past from his former classmates. nbc's erin plk laflin has more hey, even, good morning. >> reporter: the suspect spent

the night in this county jail, but he's expected to appear in court shortly for the first hearing since monday's deadly shooting. this morning, the suspected gunman scheduled to appear before a judge to be advised of the charges against him, ten counts of first-degree murder. >> surrender now. >> reporter: while the investigation continues and no motive has been made public, some of his former high school wrestling teammates describe the alleged gunman as being prone to angry outbursts after losing matches, once even threatening to kill other teammates. >> he threw a fit, and you know, the coach told him he had to get out of there. >> reporter: angel hernandez and taylor williams said he didn't have many friends and was bullied for his faith. >> they would just make fun of his last name. they would make terrorist jokes. >> reporter: in 2018, alissa pled guilty to assaulting a classmate, who he told officials bullied him weeks earlier. even though, hernandez and

williams said they didn't see this coming, and described him as a, quote, super cheerful guy. >> just like what the heck happened. >> reporter: in 2019 he posted to social media that racist and islamophobia people were hacking his phone. while he and his brother were known to the fbi prior to the shooting, law enforcement officials tell nbc news there's no immediate signs terror or radicalization was a motive. on wednesday, a somber salute to honor fallen officer and father of seven eric talley, the first to arrive on scene of monday's deadly attack. his father homer talley spoke to us over the phone. >> he was always trained to wait for backup, but that's not what was in his heart. and so i wasn't surprised when he ran into that grocery store by himself. >> the pain of his family's loss shared by ten others, including lynn marie's family who endured hours of agony waiting.

>> i immediately began texting my wife to ask if she was okay, and there was no response. >> the wife and mother of two now remembered for her grace and compassion. >> she was so beautiful. she was my favorite person. i would tell her all the time, you're my favorite person. she was the best. >> reporter: there's so much sadness here in boulder, the district attorney says he expects today's hearing to be the first this a lengthy process. hoda. >> all right, erin mclaughlin for us there in boulder. thank you. meanwhile, already under pressure to resign over sexual harassment allegations, embattled new york governor andrew cuomo is facing a new controversy this morning, and this one is tied to covid tests for members of his own family. nbc's stephanie gosk has that story. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, craig. you know, early on in the pandemic, tests were difficult to come by. now multiple outlets are reporting that governor cuomo made tests available to his

family and people close to him, essentially allowing them to cut the line while others had to wait. >> reporter: this morning new york governor andrew cuomo facing a new scandal, reportedly giving members of his inner circle access to hard to come by covid tests when the state was at the epicenter of the pandemic early on. the times union of albany said according to three people with direct knowledge of the situation, cuomo directed top health officials to prioritize people with close ties to his administration, and family members, including his mother and his younger brother chris cuomo, an anchor for cnn. in the early days of the pandemic, the governor frequently appeared on his brother's show. >> this is a normal swab. this was the actual swab that was being used to fit up that double barrel shotgun that you have mounted on the front of your pretty face. >> see, i said i was going to be nice and sweet. >> reporter: chris, who tested

positive for coronavirus last march is not commenting but cnn released a statement that reads in part when chris was showing symptoms and was concerned about possible spread, he turned to anyone he could for advice and assistance as any human being would. "the washington post" citing two sources says employees at wadsworth center, the state's lab in albany would work overtime to process the results of those close to the governor. >> it is so fast and so easy that even a governor can take this test. >> reporter: last may, the governor seen taking a covid test during one of his daily briefings as a way to encourage the public. the cuomo team released a statement saying in part in the early days of the pandemic when there was a heavy emphasis on contact tracing we were going above and beyond to get people tested, including in some instances going to people's homes, among those we assisted wsh members of the general public including legislators, reporters, state workers and their families who feared they had contracted the virus and had

the capabilities to further spread it. the fallout comes amid mounting pressure on the governor to resign after several women came forward alleging sexual harassment, which cuomo has denied. this could mean further legal trouble for the governor in the state of new york. it's illegal for officials to receive or provide special privileges, craig. >> stephanie gosk for us. thank you. we have a lot more to cover, including an unusual traffic jam causing big problems in egypt's suez canal, and experts say it could ultimately lead to higher gas prices. so a massive cargo ship that's more than four football fields long wedged across the canal. it's blocking one of the world's busiest trade routes. at least 150 other vessels, they're just waiting to pass through. the panama registered ship called the ever given ran aground on tuesday, and the blockage, by the way, sent oil prices climbing on the international markets. so far efforts to free the ship

have been unsuccessful. >> how about we switch gears now and take a look at the thrilling finish in the women's ncaa tournament. texas a&m and iowa state tied up in overtime with just a few seconds to go. take a look. >> sierra johnson makes it really hard to score. jordan nixon, time winding down, the sweet 16 belongs to the aggies. >> jordan nixon was the buzzer beater lifting texas a&m, the aggies punching their ticket to the sweet 16. they will take on arizona on saturday. >> you know she's dreaming. >> right now, if she's waking up, you know what she's dreaming about, that moment right there. she woke up and said that really happened. >> as she should. >> mr. roker, good morning, good morning. not a great morning for a good portion of our country. let's show you what we're expecting. this is gulf wait texas, look at

the hail coming down. they had tornadoes reported. we're going to see hail like this for a good portion of our country today. in fact, you can already see, these are the impacts we're expecting, severe storms, tornadoes for 33 million people, a flash flood threat for 6 million. damaging winds for 67 million. look at this, this was last week's outbreak with a high risk of tornadoes. 49 were confirmed. this is this week, what we're track tornados, hail two inches or more. 75 miles per hour winds, and with this high risk, the second in a month of march, this is the second high risk in march, and the last time this happened was 1991, 30 years ago. this system comes across the tennessee valley soaking rain into the midwest. tomorrow strong winds from michigan on into maine, heavy rain moving into new england as this system pushes across, 67 million people from the great y

gulf under high wind advisories, watches, warnings. multiple rounds of heavy rain causing flooding. in fact, a moderate risk down in the tennessee river valley for upwards of four inches of rain or more, so we're going to continue to track this, but this afternoon into tonight, a very dangerous situation is developing. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. wesome, baby! (shouting) too much? i think we got it. yeah. thanks. thank you. geico. great service without all the drama. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we take a live look outside. we are seeing some clouds moving by parts of the south bay.

overall a fairly nice start with some breezy winds. a mix of sun and clouds today, cooler today compared to yesterday. as we go through the forecast a big warming trend that's headed our way. this will be one of the cooler days in the forecast because by this weekend we'll reach into the upper 70s inland. and that's your latest weather. that's your latest weather, guys. >> all right, al, thank you. >> still ahead here, the push to reopen schools and how that push is being reshaped by the current increase in covid cases across much of the country. weaver going to talk about that with the director of the cdc plus, sacrifice and selflessness, we're celebrating america's real life heroes on this national medal of honor day. this

[ sfx: ding ding ding ] [ phone buzzing ] [ sfx: bing bing bing ] [ sfx: bing bloop ding ding bloop bing ] the day can wait... enter the golden state, with real california dairy. ♪ still ith

george clooney it was so sweet, he talked about his wife, amal, his kids, being a first time dad all of it's good after your local news to also be fun, easy and powerful! ultium! a battery that charges fast. runs long. it fits everyone. nobody will be left out. and that, changes everything. ♪ ♪ a migraine hope from aimovig. to show up... ...for the sweet. the hectic. the tender.

the tense. and the fiery. but for many, migraine keeps them... ...from saying... ...“i am here.” we aim to change that... ...with... ...aimovig, a preventive treatment... ... for migraine in adults. one dose... ...once a month... ...is proven to reduce monthly migraine days. for some, by half or more. don't take aimovig if you're allergic to it. allergic reactions like rash or swelling can happen hours to days after use. severe constipation can happen. sometimes with serious complications. high blood pressure can happen or worsen with aimovig. common side effects include injection site reactions and constipation. it doesn't matter what each day brings. so long as you can say... ... i am here. aim... ...to be there more. talk to your doctor about aimovig.

♪ aim... ...to be there more. (vo) command picture hanging strips hold strong and remove cleanly. command. do. no harm. hi sabrina! >>hi jen! so this aveeno® moisturizer goes beyond just soothing sensitive skin? exactly jen! calm + restore oat gel is formulated with prebiotic oat. and strengthens skin's moisture barrier. uh! i love it! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ (clucking noises) everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, nobunny knows easter better than cadbury!®

while others may keep trying, ♪ ♪ ♪ this helps. and so does this. and this, it definitely helps. because food always helps. and ordering in or dining outside at a local restaurant not only helps answer, "what's for dinner?", it really helps out a small business. order in. help out. with american express. facing leaks takes strength, so here's to the strong, who trust in our performance and comfortable, long-lasting protection. because your strength is supported by ours. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. depend. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100.

bring out the bold™ up at 2:00am again? tonight, try pure zzzs all night. unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. good morning. it's 7:26. i'm cierra johnson. here's today's top stories including a possible extension in the works for the mass vaccination clinic at oakland coliseum. >> reporter: i'm bob redell here in the east bay. alameda county is in talks with the state of california taking over the nass vaccination site at the oakland coliseum. you'll recall the state, along with fema, opened that site in mid-february with the intent of running for eight weeks which would bring us to mid-april, all according to reporting done by "the chronicle." the paper reports if the county takes over would it continue to

receive doses from uncle sam or have to rely on the allotment it already receives? >> reporter: i'm sharon katsuda in contra costa county where many students will be heading back to school today. diablo unified says they are ready with social distaning and offering in-person students covid tests every two weeks while the county is in the red tier. each school sent parents the in-person plan. now next week students in third grade through high school either return to campus or stay with distance learning. and it was a little bit of a breezy commute, but it's looking like a pretty nice day. good morning, kari. good morning. we'll still see some breezy winds at times and a few clouds in the mix. as we take a live look outside in san francisco we are waking will see the temperatures here reach into the low 60s. the hig oakland and reaching into napa.

so this will be one of the coolest days in the forecast. look at the trend we'll see going into the weekend. by sunday we're in the upper 70s and that continues into next week, cierra. all right. we'll have another local news update for you in half an hour. have a good morning.

♪ oh, there is our there's that jam, hoda kotb. we are back, 7:30, and there is a powerful symbol of hope for the entire world this morning. overnight the olympic torch relay kicking off in japan >> it is happening that means just 121 days left until those olympics that were delayed by the pandemic happen in tokyo we're going to get an update on all the preparations, the torch relay. all of it. get me in the mood we're ready for the summer games. >> and the games are going to be

about so much more this summer. >> look forward to it. all right. we have a lot to get to this half hour, and we're going to get to the coronavirus no country has vaccinated more people than wee have in the united states but as the vaccinations increase, so do concerns about variants. >> yeah, cases continue to rise further complicating the bide administration's vow to get kids back in school we're going to talk about that with the cdc's director in a moment but first, nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has the very latest on where things stand right now miguel, good morning >> good morning. president biden's goal for the majority of elementary and middle school students to reopen in his first hundred days which would give him just over a month to do so but in some cities where many are eager to return to the classroom, new covid cases are climbing >> this morning a push to get students back into the classroom getting a multibillion dollars boost. >> getting our kids safely back in school is essential >> reporter: president biden

announcing $81 billion has already started going to schools across all 50 states part of the administration's pledge to get campuses open this spring >> reporter: the president and vice president also calling on schools to offer summer learning opportunities for all students the plan, part of an effort to make up for a year of lost time and lost learning across the nation >> i want to be able to actually learn. it's been really hard for me to learn electronically. >> >> reporter: the urgent push to get kids back in school comes amid a troubling trend cases around the country are on the rise cities like chicago reporting their highest numbers since october. and in new jersey, cases spiking up 38% from just a month ago experts warning another wave could come crashing down >> i'm often asked are we turning the corner

my response is really more like we are at the corner whether or not we're going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen. >> reporter: amid an urgent race against variants, the president pledging $10 billion to expand vaccine access and boost confidence in high risk and hard hit communities. >> this vaccine is safe. it is effective. >> reporter: 84 million americans have already received at least one shot, around one-third of all adults, and this morning a new milestone 70% of americans 65 and older have also received at least one dose some hope in the fight that has already cost so many lives >> reporter: later today president biden is expected to announce a new vaccine goal that's being described as ambitious. meanwhile, astrazeneca after saying its vaccine was 79% effective earlier this week has revised that number after scrutiny from federal officials.

the company now says their vaccine still not yet approved here in the u.s. is 76% effective. craig. >> miguel, thank you dr. rochelle wa lynn ski, the director of the cdc is with us now. good morning to you. always good to have you. >> good morning, craig, you talked a little bit yesterday about the concerns that you have, 55,000 that's the number, the daily infection rate number in this country. it's remained sub btubbornly hih hospitalizations seem to be flat, deaths seem to be flat how will we know, how are we quantifying success, dr. woe lynn ski when we see a daily case count of, what, 20,000, 30,000 >> you know, it's hard to put a number on that what worries me is the steady continue to see that even today. what we do know is that we're vaccinating people at 2.5 million people per day, and

we're really starting to see the positive effects of that vaccination. we know that people who are over the age of 65, their mortality rates have come down dramatically from 16 in 100,000 in january to 1 in 100,000 now, so we know and we're getting that early evidence that this vaccine is working and what we really want to do is make sure that we can reach all the population that will -- can get the vaccine so that we can get that mortality rate down because we're still seeing about a thousand deaths a day, way too m many. >> i watched yesterday as you got choked up talking about your high school junior returning to school full-time, returning hybrid, and there's so many parents watching whose kids are either going back to school or about to go back to school, parents hoping their kids are about to go back to school how do you open schools in this country safely in areas that are seeing upticks, places like new

jersey, places like michigan, for instance how do you open schools in those areas where we are starting to see a greater number of people infected >> you know, we're watching those numbers carefully. our road map for the operational guidance of opening schools does have stratification by how much disease is in the community. that said, we know that even when there is disease in the community, if you take all of those layered mitigation steps that we have put forward, the masking, the distancing whether it be three feet or six feet, the good hand hygiene, the contact tracing, we know when you do those things that we can keep our children safe and that in-school transmission is actually not happening on top of that, we have vaccinated teachers now. we vaccinated 1.3 million teachers in the month of march, over half a million last week alone, and we have this program throughout this month to get our teachers vaccinated. we also have testing rolling out in schools, lots of resources for testing in schools we are encouraged by all that

we're finding in the data in schools. children are not getting covid, and when you take these layered mitigation strategies, adults are not getting covid either. >> dr. walensky, before we go, i do want to ask you about what's happening down in texas at the border you mentioned your concern yesterday about those spring break images out of florida. we saw some images on sunday, there's this customs and border patrol facility in the house, 250 children they're housing 3,300 people a lot of these kids are sleeping within that three feet range that you just mentioned. how concerned are you about those images and about people transmitting covid-19 in these i think we all recognize that these cbp facilities are not equipped to handle the numbers that they have they're not equipped to handle all of the children that are coming in, and we're working really hard with the administration to ensure that

those children get to safe environments where there are caseworkers and teachers to help them and all those environments, the cdc is working really closely with the administration to ensure safe covid practices >> we'll have to leave it there, dr. rochelle walensky, thank you. >> thanks for having me. all right, you got a lot of fires that she's working on all at once. >> and a mom of three, too. >> and a mom of three. >> fires at home as well. >> coming up next, a celebration of medal of honor day. peter alexander has a remarkable story for us on why it's so important to honor the service members decorated with one of the nation's highest honors coming up after this

spiculus! a fight to the jif. (laughter) (crowd noises) (laughter) you no longer need a knife to jif! ♪ ♪ ♪

(sharon) suction out your tube before you eat. (shane) don't use spray paint. (sharon) cpr is not mouth to mouth. it's mouth to stoma. (shawn) be very careful shaving. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. ♪ for free help, ♪ everyday it's a-getting closer ♪ ♪ going faster than a rollercoaster ♪ ♪ love like yours will surely come my way ♪ ♪ a-hey, a-hey-hey ♪ ♪ i feel bad for kicking your seat on purpose. ♪ love like yours will surely come my way ♪ we should have just told you it's a boy.

i wish you didn't have to hear all that. i promise i will not eat any more of your friends. really? k, it might happen one more time. not everybody wants the same thing. that's why i go with liberty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a little differently. hey, i'll take one, please! wait, this isn't a hot-dog stand? no, can't you see the sign? wet. teddy. bears. get ya' wet teddy bears! one-hundred percent wet, guaranteed! or the next one is on me! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. i've been on and off oral steroids to manage my asthma. does that sound normal to you? it's time for a nunormal with nucala. my nunormal: fewer asthma attacks. my nunormal: less oral steroids. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection

for severe eosinophilic asthma. it targets and reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. nucala is proven to help prevent severe asthma attacks, and reduce the need for oral steroids. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop your corticosteroid medications unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. common side effects include headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about taking nucala at home. learn about financial assistance at nucala.com. find your nunormal with nucala. we are back. it is 7:42 with in depth today, and this is medal of honor day this is when we as a country celebrate the best of us past and present. >> the medal, by the way, dates

back to the civil war and work is now underway in texas to construct a permanent tribute to the recipients nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander got a firsthand look at the project. he got to speak with some of those medal recipients who are taking part. boy, must have been a real privilege for you, peter. >> reporter: yeah, it always is, craig and hoda, good morning to both of you. really every time you have a chance to meet a medal of honor recipient, it's a memorable opportunity. there's stories obviously, they're personal, poignant as well in the next few years, that museum's going to become a national landmark of sorts to help preserve those stories and to inspire us all. >> it's an award for bravery and conscience. >> reporter: sacrifice and selflessness. >> their courage almost defies imagination. >> reporter: the medal of honor, the nation's highest and most prestigious military honor is awarded to those service members who put their lives at risk above and beyond the call of duty we spoke this week with two recipients representing two

generations, two wars but a shared commitment to country >> what's different about the medal of honor is that it's representative of something much higher than yourself >> reporter: lieutenant colonel william svenson. that's him during a 2009 firefight with the taliban in afghanistan leading a team to rescue fellow troops and search for the missing. in vietnam, major general pat brady flew over 2,000 combat missions and rescued over 5,000 injured soldiers >> patriotism is not just saying you love your country. a patriot is someone who will support and defend their country. >> reporter: their story is the foundation for the future national medal of honor museum. >> why is it so important to remember those who have received the medal of honor and to honor them in this way >> this museum is going to be kind of a vault for our values, not just the valor side but the values >> reporter: the structure itself symbolizing those va val valueses, like strength, a massive slab of steel appearing to float in the sky designed to demonstrate the heavy burdens

facing our country's men and women in uniform with a scheduled grand opening in 2024, the museum will be built in arlington, texas, owner jerry jones pledging $20 million for the project, his largest donation ever. >> you're the guy behind america's team, but in many ways, this museum really is dedicated to the real america's team >> boy, i'm telling you, sports is misplaced when you compare it up against the medal of honor and the concept behind what they've done to represent this country. >> reporter: jones' daughter charlotte, the cowboys executive vice president, shares the museum's forward, one of her most memorable on field moment joining former president bush and eight medal recipients to announce the museum would be next door.ese divided times of what unites us as americans. >> deep down, we all share the same values. we share the same values of the importance of courage and sacrifice for each other

there are things that bring us together this is one of them. >> reporter: over the years, these heroes but not every h honoree made it home often it's their loved one receiving the medal when that service member made the ultimate sacrifice. just 69 are still living our friend and colleague at nbc news colonel jack jacobs who received the medal for extraordinary heroism in vietnam, emphasizes the urgency of the museum being built now. >> we are a wasting asset, and now is the time if we're going to pass on the legacy of the medal of honor while we're still alive, now is the time to do it. >> reporter: in front of america's memorial to abraham lincoln, who founded the medal of honor, these re reflected on their new mission and the message it will send >> it doesn't take military service to be a fine american. it just takes being a fine american >> young people will walk in the front door of our museum they're going to see some incredible heroes, not wearing capes or masks

they're going to be wearing a dog tag. >> real life heroes. >> real life heroes. >> those really are real life heroes, general brady and colonel swenson there later today. a small group of medal recipients will be go to arlington national cemetery to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldiers those unknown soldiers also recipients of the medal of honor. several lawmakers in congress introduced a bill to establish a national medal of honor monument here in washington along the national mall. while nothing is set in stone just yet, the hope is that it could be just steps away from the lincoln memorial craig and hoda. >> okay, that was a beautiful piece, peter, but tell us more what you know about the 69 living recipients. >> yeah, just 69 still living. they raining in age from 31 to 99 the oldest. get your smucker's jar ready technical sergeant charles coolidge, he turns 100 later this year, only one of two surviving recipients from world war ii the other corporal woody williams, he's a kid, just 97. of the more than 3,500 service

members who have received the medal, there is just one woman, dr. mary edwards walker the first female army surgeon during the civil war. >> my goodness >> back to you wow. all right, peter, thank you so much beautiful. beautiful. >> a vault of our values i can't wait to visit that in texas. thank you so much, peter. mr. roker, sergeant coolidge, sounds like, yeah, sounds like it's time for the smuckers jar. >> we've got it ready to spin. we've got cool temps out west, temperatures from anywhere between 5 to 15 degrees below average, flag staff, salt lake roswell. look at these temperatures, 75 in pittsburgh, rochester 71. 69 in new york city, bangor 57 tomorrow we're looking at 79 degrees in philadelphia, 81 in raleigh, 77 in atlanta, but weo into next week by monday, it's only 50 in new york city, 62 in richmond, 6

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're seeing some clouds passing by, but we will see a mix of sun and clouds today. still some breezy winds in parts of the east bay, and our temperatures reaching up to 66 degrees in concord. we'll also see a high of 64 degrees in santa rosa and 61 today in san jose. you'll notice it will be a little bit cooler, but we have a big warming trend headed our way. a look at our forecast reaching into the upper 70s and that's the kind of weather we'll see into the middle of next week. >> and that is your latest weather. hoda >> all right, al, thank you. coming up, the first dogs roaming the white house once again. >> oh yeah to washington after that return incident with a secret service agent. but first, these messages.

feel the clarity of non-drowsy claritin. and 24-hour relief from symptoms caused by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. try claritin cool mint chewabls for powerful allergy relief plus a cooling sensation. live claritin clear. (dad) you know, if we take that wrapper back to the store, it can be recycled into other stuff. (daughter) well i want my wrapper to be... a hang glider! (dad) how about a park bench? (daughter) dad, you need to think bigger. (vo) now you can recycle your crunchy bar wrappers in-store. we don't follow the herd. never have. never will. because those who build the future aren't found in a pack. they forge the way forward - on a path of their own. and, just when you think the dust has settled, we're here...to kick it right back up again. the all-new, all-electric 2021 mustang mach-e is here. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ this is my body of proof. proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira. humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage and clear skin in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira. go to humira.com to see proof in action. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

just ahead hoda kotb still blushing after that interview with george clooney. >> first i've ever spoken with him. he was scharm charming he was everything you could hope for and more he'll talk about being a husband and father and so much more after your local news. yeh, right. pepperoni pocketz, atomic brownie, cuckoo crustiez... there's no promo. just great rates. and a side of ranch. you're the man, man. when you want the real deal...like a good neighbor,

state farm is there. ♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes your stomach for fast relief deal...like a good neighbor, and get the same fast relief in a delightful chew with pepto bismol chews. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit now. ♪ ♪ it's like a flavor festival on an almond. zest fest. -zest fest.

blue diamond almonds, super flavor all on a superfood. thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant.

common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. the dealer gives you a trade-in offer. be in your moment. will you take it? it feels like you're in the middle of some weird gameshow. where did that music come from? wait, is that? what? next time, start with carmax... and get a custom offer good for 7 days. the way it should be. carmax. ( crowd sounds on tv ) tonight...i'll be eating loaded tots for march madness. ( doorbell ) thanks boo. ( piano glissando ) i think you better double them tots. no, this me was last year. i didn't get my madness last year, so we're doing double the madness this year. you are a mess. everybody was a mess. whatever, you ready? i stay ready, so i don't have to get ready.

( clapping ) double the madness! good morning. it's 7:56. i'm cierra johnson. here's a look at what's happening now. good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. 684,000 americans aemployed for first-time jobless claims last week. that number is much lower than economists were expecting, much lower than last week's number as well. so more good news for the economy. we get the overall jobs picture a week from tomorrow with the march jobs report. >> reporter: i'm kris sanchez in santa clara county which is joining the state vaccine distribution plan which is managed by blue shield. here is what you need to know. you will still make your appointment through the county and while the county will decide how many doses each individual site gets blue shield will oversee overall inventory.

marin, alameda and contra costa county are expected to sign on as well. and today was a little windy but it's overall been a beautiful week. what is in store for tomorrow as well as the weekend, kari? more of this really nice weather, cierra. in fact, today will be slightly cooler. we'll see more clouds moving in with the breezy winds continuing. and temperatures reaching into the low 60s. but look at the jump in temperatures tomorrow, low 70s. we do continue to warm up for the weekend with upper 70s by this sunday. cierra? all right. we'll have another local news update in about half an hour. have a good morning.

♪ it's 8:00 on "today" coming up. border battle. our firsthand look at the facility housing hundreds of unaccompanied minors at the southern border. >> the buses with migrant teenagers head down this long, dusty dirt road and turn into the facility right there >> this morning, how the children are doing as the backlog grows, we're there live. then, burning bright, after a long delay, the olympic torch relay kicks off.

>> i think everyone one of us are in that mode where it is kind of a relief. >> just ahead the changes coming to the olympics this summer. plus, catching up with george we'll sit down with hollywood icon georgeclooney, what he's revealing to us about hirz marriage to amal and becoming a father >> i thought we had a pretty full life, and then i met amal and realized that my life had been pretty empty, and then when you throw these two kids in there, then suddenly you realize how incredibly empty it was. ♪ the boys are back in town ♪ >> and the good boys are back in town president biden's dogs return to the white house after a stint in the dog house. >> they joined the first family at camp david last weekend and returned with them on sunday >> how they're bringing the bark back to the oval office, today k back thursday, march 25th, 2021 >> we wake up every morning from

the today show. >> from the shores of new port, vermont. >> after surviving covid in january, our wonderful princess turns 1 today. happy birthday, gigi, we love you. >> here's to jen on her 21st birthday. >> and cheers to all of you in studio 1a. ♪ >> jen, jen, here's one for you right here cheers. >> cheers to you good morning. >> it's just water but it's okay happy 21st welcome back on this thursday morning, so happy you're starting it with us. savannah's been out west all week she's back here next week, she's got a project she'll talk abou coming up tomorrow, a revealing look at the extraordinary and tumultuous life and career of music legend tina turner. we're going to get a sneak peek at her new documentary and the star's plans to spend her final years away from the spotlight. >> in the meantime, we know a lot of you guys are starting to

reunite with loved ones, and nothing makes us happier than a great reunion, so we're asking you to do this for us. we're putting out a call for those sweet videos and photos. you know the very first hug you've been waiting to see grandma or grandpa, the siblings, just have someone roll on a phone so you can record that and share it with us on social media just use the #backtogethertoday. backtogethertoday, and we would love to share those videos with the world. >> that's going to be great. >> please take those pictures and videos, videos especially. >> yes >> all right, let's get to your news at 8:00 this morning we are getting our first look inside a border facility in texas where hundreds of migrant teenage boys are being held nbc's gabe gutierrez was the only reporter allowed inside, and he's going to share with us what he saw there. hey, gabe, let us know >> reporter: hoda, good morning. well, reporters have been requesting access to these facilities for weeks, and our team was allowed inside as a pool for other media

organizations, and the children we saw here were calm and appeared to be in good spirits about 766 unaccompanied migrant children inside this facility, has a capacity of more than 900. more than 100 of the children have tested positive for covid-19, and they're kept in separate dormitories and they're isolated now, what we saw here were many kids who were playing soccer we saw an intake facility where they were given a duffel bag with clothes they're allowed -- we also saw a dining hall where they have several meals a day. now, this -- the biden administration had been under pressure to allow more access to these facilities and hoda, we should point out that these are not the customs and border protection processing centers where many children have been spending days longer than the legal limit. that's the first stage of the process. this hhs facility, children are placed here and then they are

placed with a parent or in foster care somewhere in the country. there's a scramble to find more bed space. there's another hhs facility set to open here in carrizo springs, soon >> gabe, you've gone through the nuts and bolts of what you saw and what it looked like, but what did it feel like? like what does it feel like in there? >> reporter: right and you know, we have actually toured this facility before back in 2019. it is really incredible to see these children here, and the officials here are trying to establish some sense of normalcy, but just imagine coming on a dangerous journey into this country, and this is where you have to spend. some kids who have no contact inside this country, have no other known family members or don't know anyone, some of them could potentially spend months here, and the workers here are trying to establish some sense of normalcy. it is, of course, very difficult. we weren't allowed to speak to the children, but we did wave hello.ere they're going

next >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you for that. breaking overnight, north korea escalated its recent show of military force firing banned ballistic missiles for the first time since president biden took office the two missiles flew nearly 300 miles before landing in the sea near japan last weekend north korea fired two smaller cruise missiles into the water. officials say the launches are dictator kim jong-un's way of protesting joint u.s./south korean military exercises. they could also be an attempt to strengthen his hand in case washington decides to restart those stalled nuclear talks. all right, those missile tests are also fueling tensions in the region ahead of the tokyo olympics they c the start of the torch relay, and it began in a very symbolic place for the host nation of japan. today senior international correspondent keir simmons joins

us with details. hey, keir, good morning. >> reporter: hey there, good morning. it's really happening, hoda. that flame lit it is going to be in japan now for a few months before the start of the games they've kept it alive for the past 12 months one official overnight describing it as the dawn of a new era. this morning the olympic flame burning brightly once again, the caldron lit at last for tokyo tw 2020 signifying the long day tokyo games will be here and athletes can't wait >> it must just feel good to know that it's happening >> i think every single one of us are in that mode where it's kind of a relief, it's a start grt

the flame in japan for a year, now resuming its tour overnight in fukushima, north japan. for 121 days it will travel across 98% of the country including stunning islands and the peace parks of hiroshima and nagasaki in the hands of 10,000 torch bearers. its final destination, tokyo, on the 23rd of july, 2021, for the opening ceremony of the 2020 olympics thousands won't be making the journey to japan overseas spectators have been banned because of covid. >> it's a necessary move, unfortunately. >> reporter: even athletes' families will stay home this year. >> you guys all need to be on a phone ready to congratulate and cheer and speak to david as soon as he's done. >> oh, yeah. i'm sure we'll have something going on as best as we can, have a little zoom party. >> reporter: the progress of the

olympic flame will be shown live online, a sign of hope organizers say, that has been waiting for this day and the crowds that are able to attend, hoda, are being told to wear masks, to clappi, not chee, but even those challenges kind of make it more inspiring, and folks around the world can take part with hashtags, hoda one of the hashtags, and you're going to love this this #hopelightsourway we needed you so much this morning, thank you so much for that story you'll be able to watch, by the way, the tokyo olympics later this summer. we're packing our bags and heading across the pond there, across the networks of nbc. >> we're always excited about the olympics here at the peacock, but this year never been more excited. >> it's going to be a blast. >> it's going to be a constant boost. >> speaking of the boost >> nice segue. >> okay, you may recall this viral video. it's are from a while back, the memphis school teacher named david jamison.

well, he welcomed each of his 75 students each day with their own unique handshake routine so funny he loved it because he said the greetings made every single kid feel special, got them revved up for learning well, after a long year in that pandemic shutdown, school reopened david had to make a few adjustments, though. each kid still does get a customized greeting. everybody's wearing a mask no physical contact. david says he's still able to make an important connection this way by the way, he beat covid himself last year, and he said that makes him more excited than ever to get back to doing what he loves they've gone from handshakes to dances, but they look good >> i mean, just the amount of time it takes to not just choreograph it but remember -- >> remember all of them. >> and each kid comes up that is impressive, david.

when we come back, george clooney. >> george clooney and hoda kotb one on one. >> i'm so excited to show you this story, the sweet things he had to say about amal and his family and how his life changed for the better as soon as she stepped in but don't worry, george is still a prankster. >> i really do enjoy teaching miff children to do things that shock their mother. >> just wait until you hear the end of that story. it's a good one worth waiting for coming up after this what? i said mondays, right? [ chuckles ] what about 'em? just trying to make conversation. switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! and is the only approvedef

medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection... flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. lasting remission can start with stelara®. if you've been financially impacted by covid-19, janssen may be able to help. so you want to make the best burger ever? if you've been financially impacted by covid-19, then make it! that means cooking day and night until you get... (ding)... you got paid! that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping. counting your veggies can be hard. so we did it for you. v8. the original plant-powered drink.

veg up. v8. the original plant-powered drink. good morning more treatment? we're going to try something different today. hi! awwww, so pretty. dogs bring out the good in us. pedigree® brings out the good in them.

if you have obstructive sleep apnea and you're often tired during the day, you could be missing out on amazing things. sunosi can help you stay awake for them. once daily sunosi improves ytime sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea. sunosi worked for up to nine hours at 12 week clinical study. sunosi does not treat the cause of osa or take the place of your cpap.

continue to use any treatments or devices as prescribed by your doctor. don't take sunosi if you've taken an maoi in the last 14 days. sunosi may increase blood pressure and heart rate, which can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or death. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure. sunosi can cause symptoms such as anxiety, problems sleeping, irritability, and agitation. other common side effects include headache, nausea, and decreased appetite. tell your doctor if you develop any of these, as your dose may need to be adjusted or stopped. amazing things happen during the day. sunosi can help you stay awake for whatever amazes you. visit sunosi.com and talk to your doctor about sunosi today. we are back. carson daly joins us with a another name that is sure to get everyone's attention this morning, ladies and gentlemen, george clooney and you drew the short straw. >> i don't know how i got this one. i'll explain actually how i did.

this is actually my very first time sitting down with him he was every bit as cool and as funny as you would hope. we talked about hollywood, adulthood and of course parenthood too george clooney is one of hollywood's most accomplished leading men. the academy award winning actor, producer, director and screen writer has now stepped into two more roles husband and dad. what did fatherhood give you that hollywood couldn't? >> oh, everything. a sense of belonging, and a sense of home and unconditional love and you know, always things that, you know, you were hoping you could get from a really good career and a dog and, you know, you realize that this is a lot more than that >> for george clooney parenthood began at 56. do you wonder why -- and i'm thinking this because i'm asking questions i actually asked

myself too we had kids later in life. do you wonder why you waited so long what was it? why did you decide to wait this long to have children? >> i found the right person to have them with there are some people their goal was i have to have children. mine wasn't. i wasn't looking at life going my life will be unfulfilled without children i felt i had a pretty full life, and then i met amal and i realized my life had been pretty everyone ty. and then you throw these two kids in there and you realize how incredibly empty it was. it fills it all up it makes it fun. >> as hollywood's biggest prankster, fun comes at the playful expense of those around him. >> my whole job, really, is to teach them terrible things my children to do things that shock their mother do you know what nutella is? >> yes. >> kind of a chocolaty and comes in a jar like peanut butter.

so you can take it you can put it in the nappy as if there's been an accident in a nappy, and then you can put it sort of down around one of your ankles as if you've just taken off your nappy and they pull off their foot the nappy and hold it out like this. and she goes, okay, don't move, and then they take it and they eat it >> so does amal spend more time disciplining them or you >> no, me. she doesn't discipline them at all. they don't need discipline it's me. she's like really? that's what they learned today and i'm like well, you know. and the worst thing you can do is leave me alone with them for a long period of time. because the things they learn are just horrific. >> sorry, but you're cracking me up when george is not playing jokes on amal. it is their peaceful and balanced life together that brings them joy. >> what is the best part of your life with amal

>> i suppose just my life with amal you know we've been a team since really we met. the most we've ever been apart is three or four days. never had a fight which people always get ticked off when i say. you know, made seven years and, you know, we have a really wonderful life together. we're both busy. but we -- you know, but we're both very involved in each other's lives. which is nice. >> proof that sometimes the best things in life truly are worth waiting for. what if when you were a teenager someone would have said to you, okay george here is the deal all the best things in your life are going to happen after you were fifty >> i would have thought that's too bad. because i would have considered 50 practically dead. didn't you >> yes. >> when i was a kid i was like 50 is old. now i'll be 60 in a couple months and now i'm like 60 is not so old young really. >> how is that hitting you you're okay with 60. >> i'm okay.

i'm fine with all of it. little. but i think the r the number 70 puts a hitch in my fwid giddy up a little bit but i think the rest i can handle. >> exactly what we were hoping he'd be like >> by the way how did it get the interview? >> yeah. >> well he's actually working with aarp. there's something called movies for grown-ups, these great awards he won a big award i got to host the event. and he's got the career achievement honoree. you can watch the whole thing. sunday night on pbs. and those awards are totally a list they're a precursor for the oscars, which sounds a little nutty, but it's amazing. they are amazing and george is going to have more on the fourth hour he'll sing a little bit. >> after that conversation i'll never look at nutella the same. >> yeah. he's got a good one with bananas squished up in your hand and a fake sneeze. >> and peanut butter -- the -- >> -- more coming up fourth hour with hoda and jenna,

many from clooney. >> i just said that. >> craig wants the promotion. >> once again the oldest 42 year old in america >> didn't hear that at all. >> hey kid get off craig's lawn! >> i'm already at 70 what you got, mr. roker? >> mr. roker, save me. >> too late. tornado threat today we're watching closely snow showers to the west record warmth down i

>> and that's your latest weather. >> and that's your latest weather. >> -- big return in washington how about we go to some news of a big return in washington >> and here's al with the weather. [ laughter ] >> first dogs major and champ are now back in the white house. you might remember they did a brief stay in delaware because major nipped the hand of a secret service agent rkts so they sent him away, and poor champ did nothing but they had to sent him away too kelly o'donnell is at the white house. >> reporter: good morning, the first dogs' new life here in the white house was put on pause earlier this month the president said major was just being protective of him, just a good boy, not understanding that around here that job belongs to the secret service, so the dog spent time in wilmington for some extra training >> the bark is back. >> champ and major are here at >> reporter: an official first

dogs update at the tail end of the white house briefing wednesday. >> they joined the first family at camp david last weekend and returned with them on sunday. >> reporter: out of the delaware dog house and spotted on the truman balcony when the president returned tuesday night. >> all he does is lick them and wag his tail. >> reporter: 3-year-old major is home again after he nipped the hand of a secret service agent a few weeks ago leaving a mark described as extremely minor >> major did not bite someone and penetrate the skill. >> reporter: treated to what must be a presidential pardon, major got a behavior refresher course >> dog's being trained now, our trainer at home in delaware. >> reporter: the first known shelter dog to live at the white house. >> we got major. he's a -- he's a rescue dog. >> reporter: adopted through the delaware humane society in 2018. friends there remember major's personality. >> just rambunctious like a lot of german shepherds can be

i remember being surprised that he was very well behaved, very calm, very sweet, and easy going. >> reporter: the first lady introduced the pooches to kelly clarkson, and even admitted she might have a bone to pick with major now and then >> major, i caught him on the couch the other day, but he quickly jumped down. >> yeah. >> but they run all over, which is so nice >> reporter: the president's official photographer snaps these good boys all around the famous digs, even in the oval office history will come to know that major's beloved tennis ball has come to rest on the edge of the resolute desk. historian doris kearns goodwin said first pets can keep presidents grounded. >> and a dog is a great reminder of that. the dog has to go outside. you got to walk the dog. the dog's not aware that you are potus. >> reporter: so things are getting back to normal here and the white house tells us to expect champ and major will travel back and forth regularly just like their people, so if

they're sent become toack to de, it doesn't mean anything went wrong. >> pressure for the dog trainer in delaware to get it right. >> can you imagine coming up on "pop start" we got the stars who could bring the greatest beer run ever to the big screen. also, we're going to share the next surprise in our tomorrow's voices series for a remarkable young man spreading love through food after your local news

good morning, 8:26. i'm marcus washington. the san francisco school board vice president under fire for comments some call racially insensitive may soon be stripped of much of her power. the resurfaced tweet mentioned asian american community, whie supremacy and racism. she's sense apologized but refused to resign. today the board is expected to discuss removing collins as vice president and removing all of her committee assignments but she would still be allowed to remain on the board. get a look at the forecast, meteorologist kari hall is

tracking that. >> and we are starting out with some clouds as we are waking up and heading out the door with breezy winds. today our temperatures in the inland areas will reach into the low 60s. much warmer tomorrow with sunshine and that warming trend continues into the weekend. look at saturday and sunday, upper 70s, with cooling on monday. but then we go back to the upper 70s by the middle of next week. still no rain here in the seven-day forecast. meantime, san francisco will be in the low-to-mid-60s over the next several days and once again, still warmer going into the middle of next week. marcus? >> thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update in 30 minutes. see you back here then.

oh, you think this is just a community center? no. it's way more than that. cause when you hook our community up with the internet... boom! look at ariana, crushing virtual class. jamol, chasing that college dream. michael, doing something crazy. this is the place where we can show the world what we can do.

comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wifi-enabled lift zones, so students from low-income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. oh we're ready. ♪ ♪

♪ it's 8:30 on this thursday morning, friday eve around here as we like to say. march 25, 2021, that means we are just nine months from christmas, folks, and by the way there's a reason we're playing this song from carrie underwood. >> that's right, carrie will be with us tomorrow we're going to talk about her family, her faith, some gorgeous new music that's out it's been on her bucket list since the start of her career, and she's going to give us a taste of it. she's got a special performance that i think you're going to like. >> why are we mentioning it's nine months to christmas.

>> her christmas album >> what's happening in nine months from now? >> i don't care about anything that happens nine months from now. >> something to look forward to. try to give folks something -- >> >> but nine months. >> i'd like to look forward to summer >> july 4th. >> olympics are coming up. >> how about this weekend. >> a few minutes from now coming up as well. >> we're eating in the "pop start," carson just to let you know. there is this cool kid i met up with recently, an ext extraordinary kid. got together for our mentorship series a teenager with a heart of gold and a real passion for cooking so of course we had to introduce him to his favorite chef as well. all about earnest hemingway. >> that project comes out in three years. >> also coming up, willie geist

shares a sneak peek of his sunday sit-down with sharon stone and what sharon says about "basic instinct" that will definitely surprise you. and in the third hour, unprecedented and unfiltered our exclusive look at the documentary on pope francis, exploring his life and views, and the challenges facing the catholic church. but first, mr. roker a check of the weather. >> ken burns reminds me of you. >> how so? >> you know, like "the old man and the sea. >> i'm tired this morning. >> i like that >> all right i got a laugh again. i like that, all right we are looking today at record highs in the mid-atlantic state, windy and wet in the northern new england area warm sunshine in the gulf. as we move into saturday, severe storms in the lower mississippi river valley sunday sunday, look for severe storms making their way mid-atlantic into the northeast, windy in the great lakes good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall, as we take a look at our seven-day forecast. we are going to see some clouds

today and cooler temperatures with our inland areas in the low 60s. it will warm up tomorrow, reaching up to 72 degrees and some upper 70s for the weekend. it's going to be nice for getting outside and enjoying more of the fresh air. we will see those temperature that's will continue to stay warm and spring like into next week. san francisco can expect temperatures in the upper 60s. >> that's your latest weather. i think it's time for the best part of the day. >> thank you very much >> pop start we're going to start with ryan reynolds this morning, the actor hopped on social media this week to announce the release date for his video game themed action comedy, "free guy," again, i'll explain, "free guy" was slated to hit theaters july 2020, moved to december due to the pandemic, and then got pushed back again, but now ryan seems fairly confident that his new date is going to stick >> i've never been so sure of anything in my entire life as long as i live i'm thrilled to share this new date with you all, here it is.

the new release date, august 13th, see you all in theaters. >> august 13th >> and this one we feel very good about unless of course -- >> so there you have it. "free guy" will probably be in theaters august 13th >> that's great. zac efron and russell crowe are about to go on the greatest beer run ever deadline is reporting the stars are in talk to join the upcoming film based on the book "the greatest beer run ever, a memoir of friendship, loyalty and war it tells the true story of new york bartender donahue as he tried to locate six guys from his neighborhood while they were fighting in vietnam, just to give them a beer back in november, our own kerry sanders sat down with chick and a few of those guys from his beer run to talk about that unlikely meeting during the vietnam war. >> so i asked him, i said, any

of you guys know tommy collins from new york, oh, yeah, we know tommy, and i go up the gangway, and said, tommy. he said holy crap, chicky donahue, what are you doing there. i came to bring you a beer. >> how did that beer taste >> let's say i barely tasted it because it went down so fast. >> chicky donahue is looking for you. >> apple now expected to release that movie, and apparently also bill murray is being pursued for a supporting role. >> you called it >> that was a great piece. finally, jamie lee curtis, the legendary actress, hoda stopped by the digital series quoted by and shared her favorite quote and how she connects it with her marriage to christopher guess. >> there's a line that says life hinges on a couple seconds you never see coming i met my husband by seeing his picture in a magazine and saying out loud to a friend of mine, i'm going to marry that dude, and i married him four months later. the truth of the matter is life hinged on a couple of seconds i

didn't see coming. >> wow, how about that >> what a great concept. >> catch hoda's full interview on today.com hoda. coming up next, it's craig's turn to lift up someone's voice. tomorrow's voices. >> i think you're really going to like this teenager who has survived a lot of struggles and he's done it all with a smile on his face and a love of cooking it was my pleasure to help him pick up pointers from one of the pick up pointers from one of the best as we continue to return to classrooms... parents like me want to make sure we're doing it safely. especially in the underserved communities hardest hit by covid. trust me, no one wants to get back to classroom learning more than teachers like me. using common sense safety measures like masks, physical distancing, and proper ventilation. safety is why we're prioritizing vaccinations for educators.

because working with our local communities... we will all get through this together, safely. [ sfx: ping ping beep beep bloop bloop ] because working with our local communities... lisa looks like you've... [ sfx: pop pop pop pop ] lisa, you might be on mute. [ sfx: pop ping bloop ] [ phone buzzing ] the day can wait... enter the golden state with real california dairy.

tomorrow's voices is created by "today" with our sponsor andt and we're back with more of our special series and streaming show "tomorrow's voices. >> most of the students we profiled this week participated in comcast's internet essentials program, it's aimed at bridging the digital device comcast is our parent company.

>> we spent time with a teenager his name is juan. he's from new mexico the kid is all heart, huge foodie, and he spreads love through cooking, so we think we had the perfect surprise for him. >> our mutual love for each other is like our mutual love for food it's what brought us together. >> when juan cooks with his family, it always feels like a celebration. >> my dad's always been a really good cook. my mom and grandma, i feel like they bake more than anything food is just a really important part of, like, of a relationship >> but it wasn't always a good time >> i grew up in a three bedroom house with eleven people there was a lot of conflict in the family, and, like, a lot of fighting my dad and my mom hated each other, you know, like i couldn't speak either of their names in a different household. >> juan looked for comfort in the kitchen. >> food is the one thing that will never turn its back on me you just get lost in your own world of cooking, and it's something that takes your mind

away from everything family left but the food stayed. it's something that's always been there, something we bonded over. >> food was the language of love for juan, and it helped his family heal. >> it's like, i don't know, my dad's always shared like these life lessons with me now that i'm older, i'm able to see that he was trying to lead me in a better path. we have forgiven each other a lot. nobody wants to spend their life angry at other people, you know. >> juan dreamed of sharing this love of food and family on adventures around the world. >> one of my biggest culinary inspirations has to be andrew zimmer >> coconut milk with bread fruit. >> wow you know, i mean he's a renowned chef he's lived my dream. i feel like that's always somebody in my heart i have wanted to meet. >> have you ever heard of a fellow named andrew zimmer.

>> no way. me and my dad, that was one of our biggest names, we would sit for hours watching his shows i love that man. >> you're going to spend some time with andrew, you're going to share your dreams with him. he is going to cook with you, eat with you, hang out i want you just to remember these things tip one, build a rapport, tip two, listen more, talk less. >> that's something i have a hard time with >> juan, andrew zimmer, how are you? >> i'm doing very well i cannot tell you how excited i am to do this. that's good, that's super sweet. >> have you eaten this before? >> it's impossible to travel the globe in a pandemic, so andrew brought a taste of the world right to juan. >> these are good. these are really good. >> hold that up. yeah, that is an edible succulent.

>> on the menu, escargot and pasta, a dish inspired by andrew's first trip to paris with his own dad. >> one of the things i have always thought was very admirable is how open you are about your life. how did food help you through all of that? >> when i was 21, 22 years olds, and a really messed up kid, i would be cooking in restaurants, and all i was focused on was doing the task at hand, and it really helped me >> how long did you go to school for? like, as far as culinary arts is concerned? >> about three days. i left really fast i just ran away to europe and started cooking by myself. i learned a lot, but i don't recommend it for everyone. >> even through all the fights and bickering we have been through, i wouldn't change it for the world. my mom and my dad are like good friends again. like that struggle just kind of made everything that much more solid between us

>> are you going to try it what do you think? >> i think that's really good. definitely something i'd make again. >> if you're ever looking for help, you know, i'm here, would you ever, like, consider a -- like a side kick. >> life has a wonderful way of bringing people together there are no coincidences. you're not going to be able to get rid of me, you have a friend for life and if there's anything that i can ever do for you, that's what i'm here for. >> once again, thank you for taking the time out of your day. i can't tell you how much this means for me. >> this is the best part of my week, so thank you >> just awesome. >> that was beautiful. >> juan, he's a cool kid didn't waste his shot, either. >> by the way, juan was also featured in an ad for comcast's internet essentials program. if you want to see more stories from the series, by the way, you can check out our streaming channel today all day at 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. eastern and find it at today.com/all hao

change that saying food stays and brings family back and please stay tuned, coming up in the third hour, we're going to introduce you to another remarkable teen, a young author, fencer and architect >> very good, we found some great teens. >> guys coming up next, the award winning film maker challenging almost everything you thought you knew about ernest hemingway. >> we're going to catch up with >> we're going to catch up with ken burns and lynn novack about this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance usually forces you to piece together multiple policies. that's why three was created. it's one policy that covers everything you need... leaving those old policies in the dust. three. no nonsense. just common sense.

small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for “spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. three. no nonsense. just common sense. welcome back, okay, when it comes to tackling enormous topics like the history of wars, music, baseball, ken burns, and lynn novack know how to cut through the surface, and they give viewers an unrivalled film experience. >> and they have done it again with their latest documentary about ernest hemingway, they are setting out to really separate

fact from fiction. >> colorful stories had already begun to circulate about earnest hemingway. many of them told by the writer himself. he'd once planned to be a professional boxer, he claimed he'd fought in the italian army during the great war been wounded seven separate times and awarded a chest full of medals about which he said he was too modest to speak. none of these stories was true >> that's good >> ken, lynn, good morning hoda and i were just talking about this we started it last night, six hours, we obviously didn't get >> what? >> we didn't get through all of it last night. but you really -- you shatter a lot of myths about ernest hemingway. i thought i knew a little bit about him. i did not. why was that the mission >> well, part of it was that clip that you saw, he basically helped inflate this idea of big game hunter and a deep sea

fisherman and a brawler and a man about town, and a heavy drinker. all of it was true but it was really hiding an incredible insecurity but also obscuring what was so incredible about his art. ernest hemingway observed nature, he observed war, he observed most importantly how men and women got along and didn't get along, and he wrote about stuff that is timeless, and what we discovered when we pierced the veil of that image of the toxic masculine image is that there's a person who's curious about gender fluidity, who has put himself in several amazing short stories, into the mind, under the skin the writer said of the women in it, and so this reputation as a misogynist and this sort of, you know, ultra macho guy actually, it doesn't crumble, it's there but it's only part of the story, and the film that lynn and i have made, i think you'll really be blown away by who ernest

hemingway actually is and how relevant he is to this moment as we discuss so many of these things, gender, race, politics, all of that sort of stuff. >> yeah, it is nothing that i imagined when i thought about ernest hemingway lynn, let's talk about him as kind of he called himself a ladies man i don't know, he had multiple wives. it seemed like when he married someone or was with someone, they became kind of his muse is that how it worked? >> yes, i think that's fair to say. he was married four times and he, you know, he sort of burned through relationships. i think that's the best way to say it one of the commentators we interviewed said he loved being in love, and you know, that feeling of infatuation, he kept going after thatknow, you know, long-termonogamous marriages, that feeling doesn't necessarily last he couldn't take it. he had to keep looking for the feeling. he went through quite a few relationships and left an

unhappy trail behind him, and it was also grisz for his mill creatively writing about the relationships between men and women and what can go wrong, he had his own life experience to draw from to represent that pretty accurately, and in some ways, you know, eternally. >> you got to go to his farm, i believe, in cuba you talk about how you went in, it was almost like earnest went for a walk and left it populated with things, and a farewell to arms actually has 40 different endings. what other sorts of cool things did you find >> this is the thing, a lot of mythology obscures the fact that this is an extraordinary disciplined writer, one of the greatest if not the greater american writer of the 21st century. obviously open to debate and i think we provided some evidence to suggest that it is true, but he was incredibly disciplined and his work ethic was amazing. is shown and he said writing was like an

iceberg, only 1/8 is shown, and 7/8 is below the surface he had 47 different endings to a farewell to arms, which is arguably his greatest novel, most beautiful novel with unbelievable writing about war, but also love and intimacy, all of those things. and so it's just wonderful to see the discipline you can see the rhythm, the kind of music to his language and the short stories and also in the great novels like "the sun also rises," "a farewell to arms" and "for whom the bell tolls" "the old man and the sea," which most people are familiar with from high school assignments i love the short stories they, in a short moment are almost perfect pieces of literature that will endure forever and ever, as you see even from this footage, he's constantly editing, constantly working on how to make it better and sparer, so well. the other writers are very verbose, he's paring it down to a couple of perfect words. >> we could talk about this all day. >> all day >> that's a good job, guys.

>> you've done it again. >> ken, it's great to see your forehead, i just wanted to say. >> it's just for you, hoda. >> it's awesome. >> ken burns, come back in a few months, we got to talk about this new muhammad ali doc. >> i'll send you ali when we have it in the position you can look at it it's close by, and we would love to talk about it if you're interested. >> and lynn, that was awesome, hemingway, april 5th, pbs, check it out. all right, coming up next, willie geist's sit-down with sharon stone

we're back with a preview of this week's sunday stone. >> willie spoke with sharon stone about the release of her very personal memoir >> she shares difficult moments from her past and reflects on her career and the unforgettable role that rocketed her to fame >> you write really nicely in the book about the experience of becoming a movie star. and you're doing all of these things that felt a little

foreign to you did you feel like an outsider? >> when we took "basic instinct" to canne, i didn't have money for a dress. i didn't have money money for protection when i left the grand palle and was suddenly a star. fans, while i was at the premier, had taken all of my clothes, my contact lenses, my toothbrush, everything out of my suite, and this is my introduction to fame >> all of a sudden you are sharon stone from "basic instinct," how do you deal with that >> this is what happens to every single person. suddenly, you don't know where your life went it just went, and then that's it >> i've always had a fondness for white silk scarves, they're good for all occasions. >> almost 30 years later, people say, oh, right, sharon stone played that sexualized role in "basic instinct," that's who sharon stone is. do you still feel that today >> because i could play "basic

instinct" so well, doesn't mean that i'm like her. i made, you know, a hundred other movies, and i won an emmy, and i was nominated for, what, four golden globes, you know, so like you can say whatever you want to say, but i'm the one that's getting the residual check. >> there you go. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> you know what, she also said that she never saw herself as she saw herself as athletic so she was literally playing a role, and the book is really revealing about her childhood, things she went through. you can see willie's full interview with sharon stone on sunday today. good morning, it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington with oakland coliseum ending its run as a mass vaccination site, there are talks to extend it. fema plans to keep it operating for eight weeks. this is through mid-april.

but now "the chronicle" is reporting alameda is in talks with the state about taking over management of the site. one item still on the take, whether the county or federal government would deliver the doses. happening now, our bob redell is looking deeper into the story and will have a deeper look into in his forecast. and we will have president biden's coverage live and it may delay the start of our midday newscast and from our homepage, you can link to a livestream. we'll have another update in an hour.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> welcome to the third hour of "today" on what craig likes to call friday eve. >> friday eve. >> that's right. i'm al. craig -- gonna complain about that. >> no. man