to slow down right there. >> i still am fighting for taco tuesday, just in my house. >> having a taco on a tuesday is terrific. >> it is a terrific one. >> live look at the golden gate bridge. have a great morning. the "today" show is next. good morning breaking overnight, deepening crisis new air strikes and rocket attacks as the deadly conflict between israel and hamas worsens. president biden now urging both sides to stand down. most effective. >> but the white house facing new pressure should the u.s. be doing more to help end the worst fighting in nearly a decade? about-face new york joining the growing list of states taking big steps

to fully reopen after that new cdc guidance on masks. but questions and confusion remain >> i don't know how we can expect workers to be able to tell who is vaccinated from who isn't. >> straight ahead, the intense debate over the best and safest ways to move the nation forward in time for summer rising fast. torrential rain leads to flooding emergencies across the south. entire neighborhoods in louisiana and texas under water. trapped residents in need of rescue and al says the threat could last for days. his full forecast just ahead supreme court showdown reaction pours in after the nation's highest court agrees to hear a major challenge to abortion rights. some saying it could mark the beginning of a new phase for the now conservative-leaning court what's at stake in the most important case since roe v. wade a half century ago all that, plus, revealing royal.

>> to make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. >> in yet another sit-down with oprah winfrey, prince harry getting candid about mental health his message, and the critics who say harry and meghan are sharing too much after demanding privacy. and pitch perfect. >> and santa clara, you are national champions >> thrilling overtime finishes to both college soccer national championships. >> it's through! >> whipping fans into a frenzy today, tuesday, may 18th, 2021 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza

hey, guys. welcome to "today. it's a tuesday morning thanks for joining us. if you bought a ticket to those matches, you got your money's worth. >> a couple of overtime thrillers. >> congrats. it is a busy morning from around the world, including the reopening of america new york now ready to join other states by lifting mask and social distancing rules for the fully vaccinated that starts tomorrow. >> yes meanwhile, in washington, the president is now voicing support for a cease-fire in the middle east after facing mounting pressure to take a tougher stance against israel. >> and that conflict is where we begin this morning, after another night of bombings. israel launching more air strikes overnight. we have two reports. >> we'll begin with nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, on the ground on the west bank good morning >> reporter: good morning.

there are now calls for a cease-fire, but we are not seeing any evidence of a cease-fire here in the west bank, palestinians are protesting, clashes with israeli soldiers. they've lit fires to give themselves a bit of a smoke screen they're throwing stones at israeli soldiers you can see a little of them on the hillside there they are doing this in solidarity with the people in gaza it's not just here in the west bank palestinians who have israeli citizenship are also protesting. in jerusalem, palestinians are protesting all of this is to say what they believe is happening in gaza is wrong and needs to stop. israel said it still has more targets to hit and did overnight, destroying more of what it describes as an extensive tunnel network hamas is using to fire rockets hamas is still launching rockets at israeli cities, but fewer than before.

and the group is no longer making good on promises to rain fire on northern israel at the time and place of its choosing hamas' infrastructure and the homes of its leaders have taken a severe beating so have the people in gaza poor and cut off, israel doesn't allow them to leave gaza, even when it's attacking. according to health officials, around 200 in gaza have been killed so far, including more than 60 children many in gaza are now taking refuge in u.n.-run schools the u.n. director of operations here says this must end. >> the population is terrified they've started moving from their homes because they no longer feel safe all i can say is as a humanitarian, as a u.n. official, first of all, stop the war. stop the violence. >> reporter: a teacher went to a school when a bomb exploded by her house. >> we left because our windows were broken and fire entered our

house. >> reporter: she says the hopelessness in gaza often compared to a prison makes her students angry and despondent. >> they feel that there is no future when i say to them learn, learn to what, learn to be what? if we die, there is no need for our education. >> reporter: for some here, this is the good night ritual 6-year-old kinda tells her mother she's afraid she is going to die, that the house will be destroyed. her mom, like any mother around the world, tries to calm her fears and tells her everything will be all right. >> that's a heartbreaking image. richard, you all right i see you're putting on the gas mask escalating tensions? >> reporter: yes the gas mask is just starting to come in here we are fine, but these situations do develop fairly quickly.

you want to be ready but there have already been some injured taken away from here there are ambulances stationed around, and this is the way the protests develop they throw stones at the israeli soldiers when the israelis feel it's too intense, they fire with rubber bullets or tear gas. if it escalates, they fire with live ammunition. some people do get killed at demonstrations like this but this is the amount of anger we are now seeing in many parts of the palestinian territories people here are not all from hamas. many different palestinian factions, they've come together in a sign of unity to say they support the people in gaza hoda >> richard engel for us. stay safe, richard thank you. now the reaction here. facing pressure to act on this crisis, the president had a phone call with israel's prime minister, netanyahu and voiced support for a cease-fire peter alexander is on that angle of the story good morning.

>> reporter: savannah, good morning to you this is the furthest president biden has gone toward calling for the end of this increasingly bloody conflict. still, the white house's statement was carefully worded, avoided any criticism of israel, and not calling for the cease-fire to be immediate, which is what democratic senators had demanded just a day earlier. with the violence between israel and the palestinians now in its second week, president biden in a call with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu signaling a change in course for the first time, according to the white house, expressing support of a cease-fire, working with egypt and other allies to make that happen still, the president did not demand an end to israel's aerial assault on gaza, instead, urging the israelis to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, while backing their right to defend themselves earlier the white house was pressed why the u.s. hadh toll grew. >> our approach is quiet, intensive diplomacy, and that's where we feel we can be most effective.

>> reporter: pressure on the president has been building, including from progressives within his own party, urging president biden to take a tougher stance against israel's bombing campaign >> children are dying, and netanyahu, who is desperate to cling to power, is out there saying that he is doing this with the united states' support. the president needs to make it very clear, no, you are not. >> reporter: but some republicans are urging israel to keep up its attacks. >> once you start these things, i think it's incumbent upon israel to do as much damage as they can, to make sure it doesn't happen again any time soon. >> reporter: the violence, the latest in a bloody cycle, with no apparent end in sight. >> it really isn't clear to me, you know, what anybody is fighting for there's no peace plan on the horizon. >> peter, as mentioned, the pressure the president is feeling is from within his own party. >> reporter: yeah, savannah, you're right dynamic challenge within his

party, many progressive democrats urging him to be more forceful in his position toward israel that is a significant, a notable change in tone from the past 28 democratic senators, half of the party's caucus, signing onto a letter, calling on president biden to take decisive action to help end the fighting there. among some democratic lawmakers who have been supportive of israel in the past, there is a new push right now to delay an arms sale to israel that had been approved before this latest escala savannah? >> peter alexander at the white house. peter, thank you. meantime, the u.s. is expected to hit a new milestone today in the fight against the coronavirus. 60% of adults receiving at least one vaccine shot. as more states agree to lift mask mandates, the white house says it will rush vaccines to other countries struggling with the virus. nbc's tom costello has details. tom, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. you mentioned the 60% stat. i have a couple other stats even more impressive. 84% of those 65 and older have

now received at least one vaccine dose. 81% decline from the peak in april of last year for deaths. the white house is hoping by july 4th, at least 70% of the adult population may have had at least one vaccine. but to mask or not to mask, that now has become a very personal dilemma for many americans. with nearly 60% of american adults now having received at least one shot, this morning, the country is divided over whether the cdc acted too quickly in dropping its mask guidance for those who are fully vaccinated. >> if you are vaccinated, you are safe. no masks. no social distancing. >> reporter: new york is embracing the new cdc guidance, lifting mask and social distancing for vaccinated americans. starting tomorrow, the state's mask mandate, in place for more than a year, will be lifted,

along with capacity and distancing restrictions for many businesses. new york city's marathon returning. the 24-hour subway is back. >> we have to reopen. we have to reopen smart. we have to reopen with a cautious eye, but we have to get back to life. >> reporter: while new jersey is taking a major step this week, putting kids back in the classroom, the governor is removing the option for remote learning this fall. but the state will not lift its indoor mask mandate yet. >> i don't know how we can expect workers to be able to tell who is vaccinated from who isn't. >> reporter: at least 17 states have already lifted mask orders in response to the cdc guidance. nationwide, only eight states still require people to wear face coverings in indoor settings. in the coming weeks, most have plans to drop any mask requirements for those who are vaccinated. still, grocery store unions and the largest nursing unions say

lifting the mask mandate now is dangerous. chief nurse nancy blake agrees. >> i want to be able to walk around without a mask, but i don't want to go back to where we were. >> reporter: the number of retailers dropping the mask mandate for those fully vaccinated is growing by the day. from virginia, where the governor has lifted the mask mandate. >> you know, at some point, we have to let people take responsibility for their own decisions. >> reporter: to california, where masks are still required in most public indoor settings. >> respect those who want to continue to wear a mask, even if they've been vaccinated. >> reporter: president biden also responding to international criticism that the u.s. is not doing enough to help other countries stop covid and the variants that could also threaten americans. announcing the u.s. will ship another 20 million doses overseas. in all, 80 million doses to other countries by the end of june. >> we need to help fight the disease around the world to keep us safe here at home and to do the right thing of helping other people. >> tom, back to the mask guidance. people are planning vacations

and you wonder about hotels. what are the guidelines there? >> reporter: yeah, so the american hotel and lodging association now says it will not require proof of vaccination when you check into your hotel. it's going to stick with the cdc guidelines. that means if you are fully vaccinated, you would not necessarily have to wear a mask. however, that can change hotel to hotel, depending on where you are. remember, the tsa still requiring masks on board airplanes, in airports, until mid-septembetil mid-september, hoda. >> got it. tom, thank you so much also this morning, the battle over abortion rights front and center again craig is here with more on that. morning. >> savannah, hoda, good morning. good morning to you, as well the u.s. supreme court agreed to take up a potentially groundbreaking case which could result in the most important ruling on the issue since roe v. wade nbc's justice correspondent pete williams joins us from the high court this morning good morning >> reporter: good morning to you.

nearly 50 years, the supreme court said states cannot ban abortions before a fetus is viable this case from mississippi is a direct challenge to those rulings, and it comes before one of the most conservative lineups of justices in decades the court will decide whether mississippi violated the constitution when it passed a law in 2018 to ban nearly all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, saying that advancements in medical knowledge have shifted the time when a fetus can feel pain. >> what we're hoping to see is with this case, the court will take the handcuffs off of the states and allow them to pass laws that reflect the values of the people that live there >> reporter: lower courts struck the law down, saying it ran counter to a string of the supreme court's abortion rights rulings since 1973, that said states cannot flat out ban abortion before fetus viability around 23 weeks of pregnancy but now, the supreme court says it will take another look at that very issue, agreeing to hear mississippi's appeal. supporters of abortion rights

say it is an ominous sign. >> there is no way that the supreme court can uphold the restriction on abortion that mississippi has in place without reversing roe versus wade. >> reporter: two of the justices who consistently upheld core abortion rights are gone, anthony kennedy and ruth bader ginsburg, replaced by appointees of president trump, who said during his campaign that his court nominees would oppose abortion rights. >> i am pro-life, and i will be appointing pro-life judges. >> reporter: abortion opponent are hoping amy coney barrett will give thep the majority they need to uphold the mississippi law. the court will hear this in the next term in the fall, with a decision about a year from now the mississippi law, meantime, remains blocked and cannot be enforced, craig. >> pete williams there from the high court, thanks 16 minutes after the hour. hey, mr. roker how you doing? >> well, we're doing okay, but our friends down south are having big problems. take a look at yesterday

this is sterling city, texas tornadoes touching down, causing massive hail, damaging winds, some property damage thankfully, there were no injuries reported. also, you look at lake charles, louisiana. look at this flooding. over 12 inches of rain it's the third biggest rainfall they've gotten in their history. so a lot of flooding unfortunately, there is more on the way. we have flash flood watches, flash flood warnings 30 million people impacted from texas all the way into mississippi with this system all this heavy rain firing up. you can see the flash flood warnings in northern texas the risk of flash flooding really moderate from austin, dallas, all the way to new orleans for today. tomorrow, more of the same and it slides further to the south. you're going to be looking at those conditions from shreveport, dallas, corpus christi, and brownsville little rock, oklahoma city during the day today, storms with torrential rains, areas of significant flooding continuing tomorrow, widespread

rains. the greatest threat of flooding will be into east central texas. rainfall amounts, anywhere from 3 to 7 inches of rain from corpus christi, houston, austin. locally, 10 more inches of rain for folks. flooding is going to be a major issue over the next 24 hours for this region. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds meet the love of your life. and his kids... who play hockey. and their dog. which is why carmax created the love your car guarantee. with 24-hour test drives and a full 30 days to return and get your money back. so there is zero chance you'll end up in the wrong car. the way it should be. carmax. good tuesday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we look at our high

temperatures today it's going to be slightly warmer in some of our inland spots, ukiah reaching 76 degrees and a high of 76 in antioch but staying in the upper 50s and low 60s near the coastline and as we go through the forecast, we'll continue to see more of the same weather with our inland valleys in the low to mid-70s. just slightly warmer by the end of the weekend, while san francisco keeps temperatures in the 60s. >> that's your latest weather. guys >> al, thank you. straight ahead, a closer look at prince harry's very personal revelations in his newest sit-down with oprah, and the new scrutiny facing the royal after asking for privacy are he and his wife sharing too much and then a covid mystery in baseball why are cases spreading fast inside the yankees' organization among people who are fully vaccinated the search for answers, the potential impact on all of us, and why doctors say it's showing the shots are actually working

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♪♪ ♪♪ comfort in the extreme. ♪♪ the lincoln family of luxury suvs. a very good morning to you. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia. we continue to follow breaking news this morning in oakland, where at least two people are shot after multiple shots are fired at a party bus. "today in the bay's" bob redell at the oakland police substation. this is a tragic end to what should have been a happy celebration. >> reporter: a bunch of people are on the party bus celebrating one of their birthdays. two people have been shot and killed, including a 19-year-old woman, at least one other person shot. chp just walked by, they said they're going to give us an update in about five minutes, this happened around 12:30 this morning, this party bus was on

eastbound 580, this is between macarthur and seminary, someone pulled up in a car beside them, started firing in their party bus. there were more shots fired at the foothill and 68th, a bunch of shell casings on the ground. me just looking at the bus count at least 20 bullet holes in addition to the four windows that are shot out, and the bus ended up here at the eastmont substation for the oakland police department, the driver presumably coing here looking for help. we expect an update from chp we'll have that later this morning at 11:00. reporting live, bob redell, "nbc bay area news." >> sounds like it was an aggressive incident. thanks so much, bob. we'll follow that. it's 7:27, let's get a look at the forecast with kari. >> good morning. we're starting out with some mostly sunny skies around the bay area but our temperatures don't change too much. we're still in with our comfortable temperatures with our inland areas reaching into the mid-70s, and as we head

toward the weekend, we'll see highs just slightly warmer, reaching up to 81 degrees on sunday and some low 80s by early next week. san francisco waking up to sunshine as well, and our temperatures will reach into the mid to upper 60s.

7:30 that's a pretty sight to begin your tuesday morning with. rising sun and calming waves in myrtle beach, south carolina the proud state of craig melvin. >> it's god's country. >> it is. >> when i was a boy, we vacationed down there. >> real good spot. speaking of, you have a big interview tomorrow. >> yes looking forward to sharing this with everybody i sat down with the founder of hillsong church, one of the most influential mega-churches in the world. it's built a devoted following, boasting celebrity attendees recently, the church has also

become a source of controversy and scandal with its new york pastor stepping down for the first time, hillsong founder and global pastor brian houston will weigh in on the failings within his church and how he is working to address them interesting conversation coming up tomorrow. >> looking forward to that, lots of folks are. let's get a check of the 7:30 headlines on this tuesday morning. trouble could be growing for florida republican congressman matt gaetz, after one of his associates pled guilty to federal six trafficking charges on monday. joel greenberg admitted that he paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men. he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal federal officials are looking into whether representative gaetz also had a sexua relationship with a minor. gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime. president biden and first lady jill biden released their 2020 tax returns yesterday the first couple made just over

$600,000 last year they paid more than $157,000 in federal income tax vice president kamala harris and her husband douglas emhoff released their returns the couple made close to $1.7 million in 2020. they paid more than $621,000 in federal income tax. now to college soccer. as mentioned, a couple thrilling finishes in both the men's and women's national championship games. >> take a shot, bounces back, t! it's through >> roberts knocks in the winning goal in overtime, as marshall stunned indiana to win its first ever men's soccer championship now, let's go over to the women's title game santa clara, florida state tied up at one. no one scored in overtime. they had to go to penalty kicks. here's how it went down. >> i love penalty kicks. >> oh! santa clara, you are national champions!

>> oh, yeah. santa clara winning the national championship for the first time in 20 years. we say congrats to them and the marshall men's team. congrats to soccer fans for not one but two great finishes there. >> no kidding. all right. now to a candid look at the issues surrounding mental health raised in a new documentary series from prince harry and oprah winfrey. >> we showed you the trailer on "pop start" monday this morning, nbc news now anchor joe fryer is here with a closer look at the series. hey, joe. >> good morning. yeah, this new series actually premieres on apple tv plus and focuses on an issue that's becoming incredibly important to both prince harry and meghan markle, and that's mental health harry is sharing more of his personal story in a very public forum. >> all over the world, people are in some kind of mental, psychological, emotional pain. >> reporter: oprah winfrey and prince harry together again. this time, for the "me you can't

see" series featuring candid discussions around mental health they hope a lot of people will see. >> what words have you heard around mental health >> crazy. >> lost it. >> can't keep it together. >> reporter: meghan markle appears in the trailer alongside her husband. after moving to the united states partly to escape the uk media attention, the two are speaking out more and pursuing their quite public projects. partnerships with proctor and gamble, netflix, and spotify meaghan's upcoming children's book inspired by her husband and son. harry's silicon valley job and now the mental health after the interview with oprah >> it takes courage to admit you need help. >> reporter: last week during harry's appearance on d dak shepherd's "armchair expert" pod cast, drawing criticism about the first amendment. >> the first amendment, i don't understand it.

it is bonkers. >> reporter: sparking backlash in his new home country. senator ted cruz writing, quote, nice that he can say that. >> harry, we don't need you coming from england to give us lectures on the first amendment. this is what public figures in america go through. >> reporter: as harry and meghan open up about their lives, they're also opening themselves up to more scrutiny. >> i think what is beginning to irritate a lot of people on this side of the pond is the constant demands for privacy and, yet, we now know more about prince harry and meghan markle than we did before because they've chosen to lift the lids on a lot of very private matters. >> reporter: the new series also reveals more of harry's personal life, as he hopes to spark a mental health conversation the trailer shows a clip of 12-year-old harry at his mother, princess diana's funeral. >> to make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness in today's world, more than ever, it is a sign of strength. >> reporter: also profiled -- >> i've been through it, and

people need help. >> reporter: -- lady gaga, glenn close, and many more prince harry hopes that by sharing his personal story, he can help save lives. >> the results of this year will be felt for decades for kids, families, husbands, wives, everybody. >> there was an interesting point there. here's the thing, he also spent time talking about why he thinks this is important right now. what did he say about that >> we sort of heard it in the last clip. talking about the importance of discussing the issues as the world recovers from the pandemic saying the shared experience of the past year shows all of us are in this together he went on to add that there's hope the series will show there is power in vulnerability, connection in empathy, strength in honesty i think the main point is now is the best time to have the conversation >> we showed celebrities, but there are a lot of everyday people featured in this, too. >> you will see a lot of the people from all around the world. >> joe, we'll let you get back across the street.

>> thank you, joe. the mysterious covid outbreak hitting the new york p are all fully vaccinated that raises questions for folks about so-called breakthrough cases. what does it mean? the very latest in a live report right after this

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organization have had to quarantine, including their shortstop. altogether, there are nine cases of covid and everyone got the vaccine. >> ground ball right side and through for a base hit. >> reporter: like a ground ball slipping through the infield, breakthrough cases, when fully vaccinated people get covid, are supposed to be rare. now, nine members of the new york yankees, including shortstop torres have tested positive for the virus in the last week. only one person was sick with just mild symptoms they all received the johnson & johnson vaccine. >> we've been rocked here the last several days. just trying to handle it as best we can >> reporter: it all started on may 11th in tampa, the beginning of a ten-day road trip before the game, the team announced the third base coach was positive by the end of the game, there were two more cases. the next day, the number was up to seven on thursday, shortstop torres

was added to the list. three days later, the ninth positive test result. >> how can the vaccine be working if you have nine people associated with this team get the virus after they were vaccinated >> well, we always knew that the main goal of the vaccine was to keep us out of the hospital. we don't want to die we don't want to be in the intensive care unit. >> reporter: the team is, in some respects, a perfect test case for the johnson & johnson vaccine, which has shown to be 72% effective. the organization does saliva testing multiple times each day. health officials, including the cdc, say the number of positive cases isn't actually surprising. >> i think these results are even better than i would have expected because there's a much larger group of people who are associated with the yankees and travel with them this is actually a pretty small number. >> reporter: unlike professional sports, most workplaces do not test daily, meaning positive cases, even among those people fully vaccinated, can go undetected. >> that wasn't bad at all. >> reporter: should that make people nervous >> i think it should make them careful.

make sure that anybody who has symptoms get tested. >> reporter: recent research shows that fully vaccinated people are unlikely to transmit the virus, which is why there is new mask guidance. the bronx bombers outbreak, experts say, is a reminder the vaccines are not perfect the cdc says it is working with the yankees to look into this outbreak meanwhile, johnson & johnson tells nbc news that it carefully reviews all reported adverse events that take place with its vaccine, and that includes these breakout cases savannah >> stephanie, thank you very much we want to bring in our senior medical correspondent dr. john torres doctor, if you could explain, because it seems kind of contrary to what you'd think, but this actually is an example of how the vaccines are working. can you lay that out for folks >> exactly, savannah this is essentially a living laboratory of what happens when you mix vaccinated and unvaccinated people and relax some of the mask rules or guidelines, which is what's

happened in this case. vaccines themselves, and the one thing you have to think about, they're not a force field, they're not preventing the virus from getting into your body. the way they work, once the virus is in your body, they prevent it from multiplying and prevent you from getting sick from it. that's what vaccines do. in this case, it looks like they ended up doing their job, savannah. >> dr. torres, we've only heard about this kind of a thing with johnson & johnson. people are probably thinking, well, i had moderna or i had the other vaccine. so are some more effective than the others >> hoda, the bottom line is, looking at the hospitalizations and deaths from covid, they're all equally effective at preventing that which is, at the end of the day, the end point we're looking at, making sure people don't get sick. when you look at effectiveness of preventing the virus from getting into your body and mult flying so you're positive on a test or have mild symptoms, they

can differ a little there. the main point to remember is you want to prevent the spread and prevent getting sick from coronavirus. that's what the vaccines do across the board, all three of them all three of them are very, very effective. that's what the yankees are showing us here. the effectiveness is where we want it to be with the vaccines. we can prevent the spread and you catching and getting the virus. >> don't go far. sit right there. you'll be back in the next half hour, as we focus on everyone's questions. you sent us in questions when it comes to the vaccines, masks, return to work we'll get into that with dr. torres and our other panel of experts. >> all right mr. roker, a check of the weather? >> wavy pattern for the jet stream what it is going to mean is we're looking basically at stormy conditions, unsettled weather, snow into the parts of the plains flood be rain for the plains as well we're looking at cool weather in the southern plains, pacific northwest. 62 in portland roswell, 82. denver, 66, cooler than average. you look at the plains today

billings, montana, 87 degrees. 77 in marquette. today in new york city, we're looking at 81 degrees. look at tomorrow burlington, vermont, 86 degrees. that's 18 degrees warmer than usual. did you think you'd see burlington being warmer than, say, minneapolis really crazy stuff and as we get into next week, look at this, temperatures in the 80s as we get into the weekend. here in new york city, upper 80s to 90 down in charlotte. rochester, minnesota oh, rochester, 83 degrees by saturday that's what's going on around th >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're going to enjoy a nice sunny, breezy day with our temperatures reaching into the low 70s for the inland areas. it stays close to the fog with the ocean breeze, keeps our temperatures milder for today, so we'll see our highs reaching into the low to mid-70s for the rest of the week, no major

changes here, going toward the end of the weekend, a slight warmup with highs in the low 80s while san francisco will stay in the 60s. >> for those of you who are like craig and didn't get the reference, it was jack benny. >> i didn't get it either. >> did you know it >> no. >> sorry. >> it's for the older demo. >> for the 18 who got it, they were like, wow. >> those are our people! >> that's right. >> my people >> all right, al, thank you. still ahead, the problems people along the east coast are still having finding gas that's more than a week after the pipeline cyberattack. also ahead, the impact on gas prices for the busy summer driving season around the driving season around the corner ♪♪ i've got nothing to eat. nothing? nothing. nothing. nothing. [ baby cries ] hold on, i can do something. ♪ turning nothing into something. ♪ ♪ turning nothing into something. ♪ ♪ i thought i had nothing, but i turned it into something. ♪

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on it with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. good morning to you. sorry about that, the dog is up this morning. 7:56. i'm laura garcia. let's look at what's happening now. >> in santa clara county, they could get the green light to go into the yellow tier as early as today. look at what that means. indoor bars could increase capacity 25%, restaurants and gyms open 50% capacity, wining rooms and tasting rooms the same. outdoor live events could welcome back 75% of fans and people. if this goes into effect, santa clara goes into the yellow tomorrow. good morning, i'm cierra johnson in marin county 9:00.

supervisors will hear two reports from the marin county water district before deciding whether or not to declare a drought situation. this meeting coming a month after the county instituted restrictions. one you can't wash your car in the driveway or power wash at your home. we will, of course, keep you updated on what comes out of that meeting. and we're watching those drought conditions. we had really dry vegetation but at least the weather is working in our favor with coastal fog and higher humidity. staying on the cold side, reaching into the low 70s. breezy winds by the end of the week and by the weekend, temperatures warming up to the low 80s. the

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it's 8:00 coming up, mounting crisis overnight, israel unleashes more than 100 missiles into gaza, as the violence continues to worsen in the middle east this morning, president biden voicing support for a cease-fire we're live with the very latest. then reopening america as more states get back to normal, what does this mean for a return to the workplace? >> if employers don't require vaccinations, should we still wear masks >> we are gathering our team of experts to answer your

questions. plus, finding purpose. craig sits down with a member of the central park five, as he tells his side of the story. >> part of your purpose in life was going to prison for a crime you didn't commit? >> absolutely. >> his inspiring message of forgiveness just ahead. and she got it ariana grande surprises fans, as she says "i do" in a private ceremony we'll have all the details today, tuesday, may 18th, 2021 ♪ >> this is the patel family. >> from houston, texas. >> i'm rihanna. >> i'm gian. >> it's our 10th birthday. my na na is 60 and it is also our birthday ♪ my heart ♪ >> savannah. >> we have two university of arizona graduates. >> my sister sam is graduating with her masters. >> my sister teresa is graduated with her bachelors.

>> go cats. >> bear down. >> i love it all in the family. we have three university of arizona graduates in my family, my brother, my sister, and i. >> how happy, you have two more. >> congrats. >> welcome back. thank you for joining us it's a tuesday morning so happy you're here don't forget to set the dvr, y'all. we keep reminding you. >> everyone is doing it. it's all the rage. i walk down the street, hey, i set my dvr. >> it's trending on twitter. it's a thing. >> if you see craig on the street, yell, "i dvr." >> yes. news at 8:00, the white house says president biden expressed his support for a cease-fire yesterday during a call with israel's prime minister, but the violence between israel and palestinian fighters has only intensified overnight. nbc's foreign correspondent richard engel joins us now from the west bank, ramallah. good morning >> reporter: good morning. the clashes are not just focused in gaza anymore.

here in the west bank, palestinians are protesting in solidarity with gaza there have been clashes here, as well it is not just in the west bank. palestinians with israeli citizenship, palestinians living in israel are all coming out onto the streets today, all holding a general strike they say the real reason behind this conflict is what they describe as israeli apartheid. they say the reason people in gaza are fighting, the reason people in gaza are firing rockets is because they can't take it anymore. but israel sees it very differently. israel says that this is a war of self-defense against hamas militants. just today, hamas fired more rockets into israel. according to medical officials, at least two israelis were killed by rocket fire in southern israel. >> all right richard engel in ramallah, thank you. here in the u.s., drivers up and down the east coast are feeling slow but steady relief

at the gas pump this morning, as those widespread fuel outages begin to ease up nbc's blayne alexander has more on what you can expect at the gas station in the days ahead. blayne, good morning. >> reporter: well, savannah, good morning to you. the bottom line, the outages are getting better, but we do still have a way to go you know, it's something that even i experienced when i was trying to fill up. the first gas station i stopped at was completely out of gas the second one i came to had a $20 cap on all customers so it's just another sign that not only drivers but gas statio way up managers are all trying to make do during this outage. it's one we could feel all the way up until memorial day. it's enough to drive frustrations to a new high >> there were literally no gas pumps. >> reporter: from city to city, pump to pump, millions of drivers are finding scenes like this limits on gasoline or simply no fuel at all. >> it's a problem. it's definitely a problem. >> reporter: now, more than a week after the colonial pipeline was hacked, and days into it

being fully operational, for much of the southeast and east coast, there are simply no guarantees when it comes to gas. georgia is under a state of emergency. the governor has upped the wait limit for trucks transporting fuel, hoping to fast track more into the state in north carolina, where fuel outages hit 50% monday, the shortage forced at least one county health department to temporarily reduce hours at vaccination clinics. >> i don't think it was going to be that bad. i actually thought it was going to be a couple days. man, i did not realize it was going to be like this. >> reporter: even worse, in d.c., where 70% of stations in the nation's capital have run dry. >> the only gas station available is here. i'm the luckiest woman in d.c. >> reporter: experts say the good news, it is getting better. so as a driver, when can i realistically pull into any gas station and not worry or wonder whether there will be fuel there? >> i'm hopeful america takes to the road for memorial day, and

most areas, it won't be a headache to get fuel. >> reporter: according to aaa, nearly 34 million americans will hit the road this memorial day weekend, up 50% over last year now, the national average is just above $3, the highest in nearly seven years experts predict as supply levels out, prices will, too. until then >> avoid having to fill up delay your purchases as much as possible if you don't need to absolutely drive, that will absolutely help the system recover much faster >> reporter: guys, to add yet another factor to all of this, some experts are pointing to a shortage of truck drivers. in fact, by one study, it's estimated that as many as 25% of tankers are just parked simply because there is nobody to drive them now, here's what we can expect going into the week. experts say recovery is going to continue, but it will likely slow down as we get into the weekend. in fact, some areas may even see bottom line, it'll get better

but it'll take a couple weeks before it evens out. >> blayne, thank you very much. now to our series "across america," taking a closer look at how the reopening is going in different parts of this country. this morning, lester holt has made made his way to louisville. louisville, kentucky saw you in orlando yesterday good to see you again. >> i get around. happy to be in louisville for day two of "across america." birthplace of muhammad ali, home to churchill downs, famous for its bats our journey focuses on the country's emergence from the pandemic and the other scars of a dark chapter of uncertainty and shattered trust. louisville, of course, became center to a national reckoning over policing after the shooting death of breonna taylor. the result of a no-knock warrant. that was happening just as the nation was shutting down this community, which shared the distinction with other cities fueling the black lives matter movement

14 months later, taylor's mother still demands accountability i'll be speaking with her for tonight's broadcast about where her demand for justice is going and what healing looks like. i'll also speak to the new police chief about the justice department examination of her department, and whether louisville metro pd can emerge as a model for change. separately, we're going to tell you about a young kid here whose voice caught our attention, and we just had to meet him. also, we'll find out why the cry of "play ball" has such special meaning here when we see you tonight from kentucky. we'll send it back to you guys in new york now. >> all right sounds like a jam-packed show. lester holt, we'll be watching thanks. >> thank you, lester. we got the news covered, guys would you like a boost >> yes. >> here we go. high school senior grace mackie thought she'd be seeing a video message from her dad at her graduation ceremony. he had been serving with the air force in the middle east but the school had a surprise for grace. >> can we get the video board working, or is it not going to work well, ladies and gentlemen, if

we can't see the video, can you help me welcome out master sergeant drew mackie he is home >> oh, my gosh that's her dad >> oh. >> master sergeant drew mackie >> man [ applause ] >> you cannot beat that. i mean, oh, my gosh. he actually wasn't even expected to be there, but the air force did let him come to ohio early he called the school he set it up he said, can i come? i mean, that's a priceless one >> that is love. >> love that coming up next, guys, the reopening of america quickly expanding. a lot of folks are kind of nervous about returning to office, returning to normal life so we've assembled our all-star team of experts to answer your questions about work life moving forward. first, these messages.

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wherever there's hope... we'll be there to take care. walk in or schedule your covid-19 vaccine with cvs pharmacy at target. "reopening america" series. >> as more people get vaccinated and states adjust to the guidance from the cdc, more and more workplaces are ready to welcome back employees. >> what does that mean for you and your workplace our team of experts, dr. torres, vicky nguyen, and stephanie ruhle standing by to answer your questions. dr. torres, let's start with you. we have our first question that was actually sent in to us this is about her kids it's anne. let's take a listen. >> hi. my name is anne. with the new cdc guidelines, if i can't social distance at work, should i still wear a mask to avoid bringing anything home to my elementary-aged kids? >> what do you think, dr. torres >> great question.

there is no cut-and-dry answer to any of these questions. the one thing you have to remember, when it comes to a mask, its job, it protects you somewhat its main job is to protect others from you if you have the virus. if you're fully vaccinated and others who are not are wearing masks, the risk is low however, if, on the other hand, you think other people may not be vaccinated and they're not wearing masks, you might want to think about putting one on yourself to protect those at home although, your chances, if you're fully vaccinated, of spreading it to others is really low. again, no cut-and-dry answer here, just a matter of how much you think people around you are actually following the guidelines. >> all right our next question comes from bridget. let's roll it. >> hi. my name is bridget how should vaccinated people with high-risk conditions like severe asthma navigate these new guidelines if employers don't require vaccinations, should we still wear masks >> good question if you do have one of these pre-existing conditions, so to speak, dr. torres. >> it is a great question.

those pre-existing conditions do put you at higher risk of complications if you get covid but the vaccine should protect you from getting serious covid conditions and from any issues you have, if you have pre-existing conditions. now, as far as the guidelines that work and what happens there, your employer might not mandate vaccines, but what they should say is if you're not vaccinated, you should be wearing a mask if that's not happening, and you're in close proximity for a full day, then you might want to think about the risk factor there and wearing a mask, so you don't catch anything and you don't spread anything. again, if they're following the guidelines and they're unvaccinated but wearing masks, then your risk is really low you really don't need a mask at that point. >> final question. this comes from the pierre salon in new orleans hoda, you know it? >> yeah. >> they write some stylists are back how do we approach being in close proximity to clients, as well as the close proximity of stations should it be like public transportation >> you know, this is one of

those ones that you, number one, have to follow state guidelines. new york, for example, they're opening up tomorrow, but they're saying salons should still have masking requirements in place. plus, as a worker there, you don't necessarily want to be the vaccine police you don't want to have to be asking everybody if they had a vaccine. if they volunteer that, you're vaccinated, you can take masks off. if, on the other hand, you don't know, keep your mask on just to make sure you protect them and yourself again, you don't have to simply ask the question all day long. you can keep your mask on, and that gets rid of the question right off the bat. >> dr. torres, thank you >> now, let's turn to our investigative and consumer correspondent vicky nguyen we have monique from instagram, and this is her statement, basically. not comfortable going back to the office at all, now even more so i guess the bottom line is, people are going to have to start getting back to the office and get comfortable with it. what's advice there? >> monique is not alone. a survey by the american psychological association found 49% of people are saying, i am

really uneasy about going back to these in-person social interactions that's half of us. this is going to be weird. so that's okay give yourself that permission. but how do you deal with the anxiety? know before you go back to work. that means talk to your boss call your human resources department ask coworkers. what's the scene what is it like? do we have a vaccine policy? are people working staggered schedules? are there fewer people in the office or at the workplace that way, you can ease your way back in because you know what you're going to expect be realistic don't expect to interact with everybody on day one it's okay to take it slow and do what you feel comfortable with. >> do managers have empathy for the re-entry a lot of people are like, get back to work and it's time you have issues, but we have a business to run. >> the sooner you can have an open dialogue about that, the easier it is to help people get over the hump. for some people, it is a switch. great, i can take off the mask, boom, it's gone.

others, it's more like a dial. they're slowly turning the color back into their lives. managers are not required to hold your job. if you're not feeling safe coming back, they're not obligated to hold the job. >> what can managers do? >> having the conversation and deciding, look, were people productive and efficient working from home? are there ways we can accommodate some concerns? i think, as more people get vaccinated, as we start to see others not wearing masks, as we start to feel like, hey, it's summer, we're back in the office, no one is getting sick, that guard will naturally come down, as well. >> got it. >> it requires empathy. >> sure does thank you. >> last but not least, senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle. always good to see you, my friend thank you for joining us we've got a viewer question, as well roll the tape, and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> i'm michelle, and i have a quick question for you with the new guidelines, how are businesses supposed to know if the people who come in without masks on have been vaccinated? are they supposed to ask

everyone now to see their vaccination records? >> steph, michelle asking a question that millions of americans have what's the word? >> well, it depends on the business some businesses, customer-facing businesses, are relying on this honor system it's why a lot of them are saying, we're still going to require masks. if you work at a big company, there is a good chance your employer won't force you to get vaccinated they can say we require you to be vaccinated. chances are, they won't say that they'll encourage you to get vaccinated they might even offer incentives, but there is a very good chance they'll say, i'm going to need to see your vaccination card if you want to come back to work and be maskless. >> steph, to be clear here, an employer can require vaccination, and that employer could potentially fire you if you don't get the vaccination, is that right? >> this gets technical they can technically require you to be vaccinated, provided that if you are not vaccinated for religious reasons or medical

reasons, you don't have to in that case, the employer would have to provide other accommodations that might mean your job function gets more limited, but they have to offer you something else now, is there a risk you get fired? the risk is there, but it is minimal, craig the employer would have to prove that they offered you something else, and you didn't take it you need to come to work in person for that business to work, and by you not being vaccinated, it actually hurts their business if they could prove all of that, then, yes, technically, they could fire you but that would be a ways down. >> yeah. really quickly here, some things that employers are doing, could potentially do to entice employees to get back in the office. >> we're seeing it happen across big businesses amazon announced last week they're hiring 75,000 people they're offering bonuses to those who are vaccinated american airlines offering gift cards and a vacation day just today, walmart announced their employees who do prove that they've been vaccinated can come to work maskless starting

today. they also get 75 bucks if they're willing to be vaccinated what we're seeing, more than anything, is businesses incentivizing their employees, but they can say to customers, no shirt, no shoes, no service no mask, no service. we're seeing that, too. >> steph ruhle, thanks, as always. >> thank you. >> if you have any questions about the weather, al roker is our expert for that. al, what you got >> 30 million people under flash flood watches and warnings we have them in eastern louisiana, new orleans, also right there we're expecting big problems lake charles looking at heavy flooding, as well. look at this rain. stretching really from the panhandle of florida almost all the way over to san angelo, dallas temperature wise, we have, look at this, alaska, temperatures, 50s and 60s. lovely down in hawaii, temperatures in the 80s. 90s in the southwest and southern texas 80s through the gulf coast for today, we're looking at a gorgeous day eastern third of the country,

though, severe storms in the good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. our temperatures over the next few days are staying comfortable. highs for the inland valleys in spots like danville and gilroy reaching into the low 70s. as we go into the rest of the week, our winds will pick up but we're going to continue on with dry weather. slightly warmer temperatures by the end of the weekend. no major changes in san francisco. we're mostly looking at highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. >> yes. >> thick one today let's get started. craig, this is for you jonas brothers nick, last night, the "voice" coach revealed on the show he recently sustained injuries to

his ribs and other parts of his body following a bike accident opening up about how it will affect his coaching, nick learned that some of his fellow coaches were a bit more sympathetic than others. >> i've been better, but i'm doing all right. cracked rib from a spill on a bike and a few other bumps and bruises, but i want to say that, in case i'm not as physically enthusiastic as i usually am blake, don't make me laugh too much because it hurts to laugh. >> you're just trying to get sympathy votes on this show. that's what you're doing >> big, elaborate plan. >> yeah. >> whatever works. >> wish nick the best and hope for a speedy recovery. because he's going to need it. shape soon ahead of this summer's tokyo olympics. all three jonas brothers will be taking part in a one-hour special called "olympic dreams featuring the jonas brothers." the joe bros are seeing if they can compete against each other at an olympic level. the pop superstars will be coached by team usa's best athletes

to find out if kevin, nick, and joe achieve their olympic dreams, tune in on july 21st, here on nbc. i hear it was a dream of theirs if they didn't go on to be pop superstars, they would have wanted to be olympians now is the chance. ariana grande, big news from the "thank you next" star. she's married. she tied the knot with dalton gomez five months after announcing their engagement. the ceremony took place at the couple's home in california. grande's rep told nbc news the ceremony was tiny and intimate, less than 20 people. the room was happy and full of love the couple and both families couldn't be happier. congratulations to the newlyweds. and next, we talked about this earlier, former first lady laura bush, or as some of us know her as jenna's mom, she sat down with kelly clarkson and debunked a longstanding theory that jenna believes, the white house is haunted in case you missed it, here is

what jenna had to say. >> true or false, there are ghosts in the white house. >> true. >> never going >> true. barbara and i were going to sleep. our rooms were right next to each other it was in college when people would call late. so the phone rang. i woke up, and all of a sudden, we heard 1920s piano music coming out of our fireplace. >> that's creepy well, mrs. bush has her theories here is what she told kelly. >> today is national no dirty dishes today >> did you ever experience that? >> no, we never -- i think barbara and jenna felt like it was haunted. they pretended like they heard voices it was probably the secret service talking down the hall in another room that they heard. >> i think it's haunted. how can a house be around that long -- >> jenna would never exaggerate. >> no. >> never, never. >> the piano playing is creepy, i have to say. >> yeah. >> dylan, thank you. straight ahead, we're talking summer beauty with chassie post the must-have products to take

you into the warm weather, making you look better than ever first, a look at your local news a very good morning to you. it's 8:26. contra costa county is rarming up vaccines for children over 12. each will run during school hours through saturday. different schools in contra costa county will host similar clinics every week through mid-july. the weather's been cooperating this week. springlike temperatures. how are we looking today, kari? >> it continues. we're going to see more weather like this as we go through the rest of the week, with sunshine

and temperatures reaching into the low-to-mid-70s. there will be a little more windy towards the end of the week, especially thursday and friday. the weekend is looking nice and it starts to warm up a few more degrees with some of the our warmest spots like we see in livermore or morgan hill. we will reach into the low-to-mid-80s. as we go into the forecast for san francisco, steady here although there will be times of fog and clouds. it will be breezy winds and sunshine by the end of the week as our temperatures make it into the upper 60s. but it does stay dry. we're not looking at any rain, but we will be watching rain moving over the sierra. laura? >> thank you. and thank you so much for joining us as well. another update in half an hour. hope to see you then.

whipping >> exactly the kind of voice we need on this show. ♪ ♪ i want to stay at h da-da-da-da-da-da. ♪ i would have sat at home ♪ >> oh, we're live. tuesday morning, 18th of may, 2021 craig, i'm looking forward to this interview you've got. >> i spent some time with one of the exonerated members of the central park five. he served seven years, and more

time as a pa ollie, for a crime he did not commit. he's telling his own story he's been wrongfully imprisoned, saying it was part of his purpose in life. >> you're going to be astonished after hearing what he has to say. >> wow. then great hair, a safe tan, tiktok approved secret weapon for smooth skin. >> take it off. r the summer >> chassie post has it we'll check out some of the best-selling products you'll need for the summer. later on, who says you can't have noodles for breakfast you don't want to miss the recipes we're about to share, as we continue to celebrate asian-american pacific islander heritage month. coming up on the third hour, this is weird, it is a growing trend in fashion we're going to show you how some huge designers are using mushrooms to replace leather >> okay. >> unorthodox use of mushrooms. tomorrow on "today," we're visiting with a member of hollywood royalty, oscar winner dame helen mirren. her new show, its star-studded cast, a big wish that finally

came true for her. you'll never guess what she has always wanted. >> okay. now, let's get a check of the weather. hey, al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by target expect more, pay less. >> and let's show you what we have for today beautiful day up and down the earn seaboard. unfortunately, severe storms and possible flooding continue for the central plains and southern plains, as well as into the gulf coast. cooler in the pacific northwest. for tomorrow, the wet weather stretches up into the great lakes, back down again into the central gulf more like summer in the east gorgeous weather as you get into the rockies and on into the southwest. that's what's going on around good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. let's take a look at our temperatures. we'll reach into the 60s in san francisco. at least this morning we're waking up to some sunshine but at times we will see some clouds

and fog moving by and breezy winds. for our inland areas, in the warmest spots we will see our temperatures reaching into the low 70s, nice and comfortable. that natural air-conditioning continues as we go through the week. but becoming dusty, especially thursday and friday, and warming up by the end of the weekend. me the central park 5 on finding forgiveness and purpose after his wrongful conviction. his wrongful conviction. first, this is "toda on nbc.y"

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. ♪ ♪

we are back with an update this morning from a member of the group once known as the central park 5 teenagers wrongfully imprisoned light again in recent years by a documentary, then a netflix mini series now, yusef salaam is telling his own story with a new memoir. we sat down with him about the book, talking about surviving going to prison at the age of

15, and how he carried a stigma, even after he was exonerated >> reporter: the morning of awakened to the horrible news. april 20th, 1989, new york city awakened to the horrifying news. >> left for dead after a brutal attack while jogging in central park. >> reporter: a female jogger was clinging to life after being beaten and sexually assaulted in central park the city was outraged. the police quickly arrested a group of teenagers among them, yusef salaam their trial gripped the city their conviction seemed, by many at the time, as justice served arrested at 15 you spend seven years in prison for a crime you did not commit vilified in the public for years. but the title of the book is "better, not bitter. is that even a smidge of bitterness >> i have to tell you, i found out that a thing like

forgiveness, as an example of where we can go with it, being able to get out of being bitter. forgiveness is for you it's for you to be able to surgically cut yourself from the ball and chain that is holding you back >> reporter: at the beginning of the book, you talk about seeing the hand of god in everything. >> yes. >> reporter: that happened to you. >> absolutely. >> reporter: what'd you mean by that >> there is absolutely no way to get through any trial unless you can see the positive outlook on things i want people to understand that it is through these kinds of trials that, when you're tested, then you can testify you have a testimony because you were able to grow through something opposed to just go through something. >> reporter: you think part of your purpose in life was goingrt commit >> a you know, it's one of those questions where you say to yourself, if i had an opportunity to change anything, would i? but if you change anything in

your past, you change everything in your future. >> reporter: so you'd do it again? you'd take the fall for a crime you didn't commit? >> i wouldn't necessarily say that. >> reporter: okay. salaam served nearly seven years in prison. in 2002, the convictions were vacated after a serial rapist confessed to the crime after you were exonerated, did you still feel vilified? >> absolutely. i came out of prison, and i'm 6'3", and i'm still walking around with my head down inside because it's still not popular to say, yes, i'm one of the central park 5 >> why are we here >> central park 5. >> reporter: things started changing in 2012 when a documentary about the central park 5 came out. followed by the netflix mini series "when they see us" in 2019 >> i don't think we should admit to something we didn't do.

>> it really wasn't popular in a grand scale until the "central park 5" documentary came out, when we got our voices back. and then, when they see they liberated us, we had no idea that we would be re-branded correctly as the exonerated 5. >> reporter: the fact that his book is coming out during a time of upheaval across the country on the topic of criminal justice is not lost on salaam. >> young people, when george floyd was murdered, they said the system is not broken it's operating exactly as it was designed >> reporter: when you were sitting in that prison cell, knowing you had not committed this heinous crime, is this where you thought you would be >> honestly, i don't think i thought i would be here. i thought i would somehow get free and piece my life back together i didn't know that when god

restores what was taken from you, 100 times more than what was taken is what is given >> yusef salaam and the other central park 5 received a multi-million dollar settlement from the city of new york. he is an author, designs his own jewelry. "better, not bitter," is out today. let me tell you, that was one of those conversations where you leave inspired, like you just -- he put a lot of things into perspective for me, and i think a lot of folks, as well. >> it's not just talk either he exudes a lot of grace. >> lives it. >> it's in every cell. >> is he married does he have a -- >> yes he's married and has kids, lives down in georgia. somewhat happily ever after, to a certain extent, you could say. yeah, the book is solid, if you can pick it up i'd encourage you to. >> found a real purpose. >> hard-earned happily ever after.

>> a lot more ahead this morning. thank you for that we are going to turn and do a little shopping. best sellers for summer. chassie post is along. she has products she's on a frizz-fighting mission this morning mission this morning >>i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed... and get to and stay undetectable... can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato

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>> announcer: "today" best sellers is created by "today" and promoted by amazon >> back now, 8:43, with "today" best sellers unofficial start of summer less than two weeks away. while we love the sun, it has its own set of challenges. >> we're talking frizz >> yes. >> chassie post is here with some problem-solving beauty products to help us get through the season remember, you can scan the qr code on your screen and get instant access to these buys good morning >> hey, chas. >> good morning. >> let's start you have a 2-in-1 hair tool. let's hear about it. >> oh, i sure do so this is the revlon hair straightening heated styling

brush. guys, do you remember that cult favorite, mega best seller that pretty much everyone in america had, the revlon styling brush? >> yes. >> we have it. >> right this is the straightening version. it is so perfect for summer. people love it, mainly for two reasons. one, it is fast. i mean, in an instant, it'll give you that smooth and sort of straight summer hair look. number two, it is so easy. i mean, no skill required. if you can use a brush, you can use this styling tool. who wants to spend time styling hair in the summer i want to hit the beach and have great hair this is amazing. >> i don't want big hair let's get to the frizz section you have a miracle on hand miracle 10 i've seen this product in the drugstores i didn't know it worked. tell us about it. >> yes it truly is like a little miracle in a bottle. it is called the it's a 10 miracle leave-in product

hoda, it is like a summer humidity savior. i mean, it fights frizz like a champ, but it is called it's a 10 because it does about ten things in one. everything from fighting frizz to help prevent breakage it's like a detangler. use it on wet or dry hair. i could talk the whole segment about this product alone >> let's move on to makeup you put on the mascara, in the summer heat, it runs down your face never a good look. how do we fix that >> people are obsessed with this mascara. this is from essence, and it is called the lash princess waterproof mascara okay, it's got over 24,000 ratings. one tube of this sells every 90 seconds. >> wow. >> it's the waterproof version

of that lash princess false lash effect that probably you have in your makeup bag. people love it it gives you this mega volume. it looks like you're wearing the false lashes it is waterproof, which is key for summer then i've got another waterproof little miracle so this is a waterproof eyebrow gel. it's called the wonder brow. i have to tell you guys, 27,000 ratings. people are going nuts over this, mainly because it is perfect for summer not only is it waterproof but it is smudge proof. it is not going anywhere. >> can you go swimming with it >> yes it is really not going to go anywhere i mean, i can't tell you how many times i've walked out when it is hot and my eyebrows have really melted off because i've used -- >> it happens. >> really hot. >> isn't that cute, al i have to tell you guys, it's so easy, even i could fill in my

sparse little brows. people are loving this >> chas, we have the hair. we have the lashes we have the brows done what about the skin? i hear you have something for smooth skin. >> oh, you know i do >> why did you say it like that? >> it's called the bump eraser every 45 seconds, a tube of this is sold. what people love about it is, it is a next level body scrub exfoliator it gets rid of the bumps it lives up to its name.vogue" . plus, it is tiktok famous, and it won a "teen vogue" acne award. what else do you need, right >> chas, if you want to get the summer glow without damaging your skin, what do you have for us >> well, i mean, i have probably the most popular self-tanning foam on earth. it's from bondi sands. >> not worried about that.

>> well, i have to tell you, one of these little bottles is sold every nine seconds >> wow. >> this self-tanning foam actually has a social media following over 2 million it's the number one best-selling body self-tanner on amazon people love it because you get this summer glow it's very natural. you're not damaging your skin. plus, it's really, really easy to apply >> how does it smell >> fritos? >> no. >> are you sure? >> it smells like summer fresh coconuts. >> most of them smell like fritos. >> fritos are summer for me, but that's a different story. >> it's never streaky. it is never orange we're all going to look great this summer. >> chassie post, thank you so much you can find more of these "today" best sellers by scanning the qr code underneath mr. roker, or you can do the old-fashioned way, today.com/shop reminder, amazon has an affiliate relationship with

"today," so when you buy a product through our site, amazon pays "today" a small commission on the sale. coming up next, guys, the recipes for savory and sweet noodle dishes, including what our chef says is life-changing our chef says is life-changing first, thi did you know that geico's whole 15 minutes thing...

that came from me. really. my first idea was “in one quarter of an hour, your savings will tower... over you. figuratively speaking." but that's not catchy, is it? that's not going to swim about in your brain. so i thought, what about... 15 minutes. 15 percent. serendipity. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

we are back. special edition of today food. all month long, we're celebrating asian-american pacific islander heritage month. >> this morning, we are thrilled to have chinese-australian cook and food writer hetty mckinnon joining us live from her kitchen in new york. >> she'll show us delicious meals from the pages of her cookbook, "to asia with love." hetty, good morning. >> good morning. thank you for joining me for breakfast. hope you're hungry. >> we are. >> first, this is "to asia with love," but it is also to your mother with love it's a love letter to her. >> it is a love letter to my mother, just the generosity in

which she fed us during our childhood. it's something i feel very lucky to have had that childhood there they are, that's my mom and dad. >> aw. >> right after they got married, actually yeah, this was -- and i really wanted to show people how easy it was to create those flavors a lot of people say, i love asian food, but i have no idea how to cook it in this book, i show people, you can use what's in your pantry. just a different way of thinking about ingredients. >> let's get started then. >> yes let's start cooking. >> any of us can do it, so how do you begin >> okay. have a great pantry. this is something called soy sauce noodles. it is traditionally eaten at breakfast time it is soy sauce, a dark soy sauce, with a caramel flavor, sesame oil, and a little bit of water. that's how easy the sauce is >> wow >> then we're going to -- yeah, that is it then we're going to put some oil

in the pan these are just ordinary, instant noodles that you get at your supermarket. >> already cooked it >> we're going to put that in. i grew up eating savory breakfasts, so this is something we would definitely eat at breakfast time >> i'm used to using olive oil for everything what oil did you put in that pan? >> i use a neutral oil just because my mother does. in asian cuisine, because you have strong flavors anyway, olive oil has its own flavor it is not necessary to use it, but you can also use it. i'm a proponent of using what you have i'll put some bean sprouts in there. that adds a bit of freshness and crunch >> so did you cook those noodles kind of partway, then throw them in the pan after >> i just boiled them for two minutes and drained them. >> okay, got it. >> that's how quick that is. then i'm going to put the sauce

in >> so easy. >> this is the noodles they serve when you have the trolley going around it's these noodles. >> hetty, if you wanted to eat this for dinner, could you >> absolutely eat them for one dinner breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals. then i'm going to put some scallions in it adds a beautiful flavor i'm going to turn up the heat. this is really a breakfast from my childhood >> could you eat those cold? >> yes, you could eat those cold you can eat them at room temperature. nice and hot. >> do you ever throw an egg on there? >> have you just read my mind?

that is exactly what i'm about to do. >> oh. >> okay. >> that gives it a bit of a breakfast feel, too, doesn't it? >> let's see fried egg there. >> yum >> fried egg on the top. then i'm going to finish it with just some sesame seeds it adds that beautiful toasty flavor, which i just love. no more cereal for breakfast. >> where in new york are you we're at 49th and 6th. >> not far away. i'm in brooklyn. >> i noticed you've got soy sauce brownies there >> what? >> yes you guys, i really want to bring this over right now. >> okay. >> we want you to. >> these are regular brownies, but you put soy sauce in there it's the same idea of salt with the chocolate. everyone says salt brings out the chocolaty flavor soy sauce brings out the

chocolaty but also the caramel flavors. think of salted caramel, that's kind of what you're getting in these brownies also, they're gluten free, made with almond flour. they're also nutty >> almond flour. >> yes look how well they hold up they're amazing. this is a dish i call life-changing. it's been a very, very popular dish from the book. >> it's all in the book.ith six >> it is a hot soy base with six it is 8:56. i'm laura garcia. at least one person is dead, others injured after a birthday celebration took a tragic turn overnight in oakland. that's when the chp said someone opened fire on a party bus

traveling along interstate 580. shots were fired from a car that followed the bus until it came to a stop at a police substation. the car then took off. the victims were celebrating a 21st birthday. investigators also now believe this was not a random shooting. happening now, our rob redell is following the latest on the investigatio he will have a live report on our midday newscast and you can link live on our home page. and this may be the day contra costa moves into a less restrictive yellow tier. check twitter for updates.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning. welcome to the "3rd hour of today" on this tuesday, may 18th. scripts that aren't his. you're, like, mad dash scribbng. >> we don't have a lot of time between shows. i like to make sure i read all my scripts. you don't like my preparation? my preparation bothers you? >> i overprepare for everything. >> you'd never know. >> hey, come on! [ laughter ] >> not fair. when haven't i been