have been working throughout this pandemic to help get us to this point. >> we know it's been tough this year and finally we are all looking to rebound, join us for our midday newscast and throughout the day for more of the statewide reopening. thank you for all your work. good morning. overseas showdown, after meeting with world leaders at the g-7 in nato, president biden delivers a direct message to vladimir putin. >> there are areas where we can cooperate and if he chooses not to cooperate, we'll respond in kind. >> this morning what both leaders are saying about their face-to-face showdown now less than 24 hours away and how the president is preparing for that highly anticipated summit. grand reopening, overnight california lifting most of its covid restrictions to usher in a new era in its recovery, and

more vaccination threshold. but in georgia, tragedy after an argument over masks leads to a deadly grocery store shooting. >> he just walked straight up to her and hit her with the gun, then started shooting. >> we'll have the very latest. breaking overnight, disaster in the making, a dangerous fire still burning at a chemical plant in illinois after a massive explosion. debris raining down on homes nearby residents forced to evacuate thick, black smoke visible for hundreds of miles. >> every time an explosion went off, the flames would go sky high. >> this morning, the search for what caused the blast and the race to avoid a potential environmental nightmare. record setting heat wave, the hottest temperatures ever in arizona and nevada possible today up to 125 degrees. power grids across the southwest strained with the potential for

rolling blackouts. al's got the forecast. those stories, plus vacation nation >> it's so nice to be back outside. >> americans flooding national parks in record numbers from coast to coast just ahead, an inside look at what you'll face if you plan to visit the summer's most popular destinations why experts are saying you better book now. and see you in tokyo. >> dominance confirmed again. >> gold medal winner katie ledecky punches her ticket back to the olympics as team usa begins to take shape with the star swimmer already making waves, today, tuesday, june 15th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza >> and welcome to "today." so happy you're joining us on this tuesday morning katie ledecky looked good in that pool. >> in a league of her own out

there in front we'll have more on that in a moment we have a lot to get to coast to coast and around the world including that alarming situation that's unfolding as we speak in illinois. >> that fire continuing to burn after a chemical plant explosion that's prompted evacuations and fears over toxic chemicals that may be in the air. nbc's meagan fitzgerald is on the scene with the latest. this is a significant day in america's reopening, most covid restrictions being lifted in california disney theme parks are dropping mask requirements for the fully vaccinated and universal orlando resort parks are returning to full capacity crowds miguel almaguer will have more on all of that in a moment but we do begin with president biden gearing up and preparing for a showdown with vladimir putin with one final day of meetings in brussels. nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander is traveling with the president peter, good morning. >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning to you president biden today wrapping up his meetings with america's european allies saying that

those relationships are rock solid ahead of that high stakes summit with vladimir putin tomorrow despite some criticism that the president is rewarding putin by giving him this meeting, president biden says that most of the allies he's met with here have thanked him for it. we're learning new details about where this summit will take place, a historic estate overlooking lake geneva. ahead of tomorrow's summit, with russian president vladimir putin, tt president biden is meeting with leaders of the european union, tackling a series of thorny challenges facing its allies from the coronavirus to trade disputes and new challenges posed by a rise in china. but the president's biggest focus, that face-to-face with putin. >> if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. >> reporter: the white house says the president will confront russia on its election

interference in the u.s. and europe and the recent surge in ransomware attacks on the u.s. food and gas supply that the u.s. blames on russian hackers in nbc's world exclusive with putin, he denied russia was behind those attacks. >> mr. president, are you waging a cyber war against america? >> translator: where is the evidence where is proof it's becoming farcical. >> reporter: the u.s. intelligence community has produced evidence of russian hackers targeting the federal government and meddling in elections, and some plans argue president biden is not being tough enough on putin. >> we haven't seen a lot of action he's not going into this summit and this particular meeting with putin from a position of strength >> reporter: mr. biden saying he's ready to confront putin tomorrow >> he's bright he's tough and i've found that he is, as

they say when we used to play ball, a worthy adversary >> and we're learning more details this morning, peter, on how the president is preparing for this meeting >> reporter: that's exactly right. days before departing the u.s. for europe, president biden huddled in the roosevelt room of the white house with about ten experts on russia from outside of the white house, including some who formerly worked for former president trump this lasted for two hours this session, where they discussed a range of views, i'm told, about how to deal with vladimir putin from those who have interacted with him in the past remember president biden has only met with putin once before, one person telling me of the president he is not winging it he's putting a lot of time and >> peter alexander, thank you. now to new steps in america's recovery from the pandemic more states are reaching the 70% vaccination threshold, and as we mentioned, california is now removing most covid restrictions

new concerns are being raised this morning about that highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer is in los angeles. miguel, good morning >> reporter: savannah, good morning. just hours ago california lifted its covid restrictions on businesses after 15 months of pandemic lockdowns and as more infectious delta variant spreads in this country, new evidence suggests being fully vaccinated may increase your protection against the more severe strain this morning as health experts warn the delta variant will likely become the most dominant strain in the u.s., new data from the uk suggests covid vaccines help block the mutation from leading to severe outcomes. >> you guys are all doing your second pfizer? >> yes. >> reporter: researchers finding pfizer's vaccine is 96% effective in preventing hospitalization for the fully vaccinated and 92% for astrazeneca. the study reinforcing the push to inoculate more people >> if you're not vaccinated, you are more likely to get sick,

more likely to need to go to the hospital, and probably more likely to die. >> reporter: this as the first state in the country to impose a covid lockdown has officially removed restrictions overnight, california dropping capacity limits and physical distancing requirements for businesses meaning bars, restaurants, theme parks, and stadiums are allowed to fully reopen at max capacity >> it's great. especially since we've been separated to finally come back together. >> reporter: but rules on masking are less clear, while the unvaccinated are still required to wear masks indoors, the fully inoculated can go maskless in most places, likely even at work as soon as this week still, companies are allowed to set their own rules. >> businesses can require verification businesses have the freedom of choice across the spectrum. >> reporter: a similar rollback may soon come in new york where 70% of adults are at least partially vaccinated, one of 14

states crossing that threshold including vermont,ate to adminie dose to 80% of its eligible population >> effective immediately, i'm lifting all remaining state pandemic restrictions, state of emergencies. >> reporter: as the nation reopens, a reminder of what we've lost lawmakers gathering at the capital to observe a moment of silence for the over 600,000 lives cut short by covid >> yeah, and miguel, this does raise a lot of questions for businesses like how are they ever going to figure out if their employees are really vaccinated or if the customers who come in are vaccinated. >> reporter: that's certainly adding to the confusion around the new rules. california's governor admits in most cases you'll have to trust people about their vaccination status and most companies around the country are following the honor system some are moving to require workers to disclose their status, and a new digital feature is being rolled out soon to companies that will allow workers to upload images of

their vaccination cards. hoda. >> all right, miguel, thank you. a shooting at a supermarket in georgia is believed to have started over a dispute over wearing masks inside the store nbc's blayne alexander has the latest on that investigation hey, blayne, good morning. >> reporter: well, hoda, good morning to you you know, when customers walk into the supermarket here behind me, they pass not one, but two signs that say that masks are required inside. now, officials say that that's what sparked an argument between a cashier and cost that employee her life this morning the fight over face masks has taken a deadly turn. officials sa officials say 30-year-old victor lee tucker jr. walked into the big bear super moutside of atlad an argument with a cashier, later allegedly returning and shooting her officials believe the entire incident stemmed from an argument over a mask. >> something in reference to a mask, i'm not exactly sure, but that's what has been brought to

our attention. >> reporter: according to police, the trouble started in the checkout line when tucker and the cashier had some sort of dispute. the two argued and tucker left without buying anything, but moments later, witnesses say he came back and went directly to the cashier. >> he just walked straight up to her, hit her with the gun and then started shooting. >> reporter: a reserve sheriff's deputy working as a security guard quickly fired back, police say, when the gunman turned on him. the suspect and the officer both in stable condition. the store employee pronounced dead the store's owner knew the cashier for 15 years and says she did not provoke tucker. >> he had a mask she's just a very cautious person, so she had asked him to pull up his mask he refused, and walked out, came back in and did that >> reporter: monday's shooting is just the latest example of mask tensions taking a confrontational turn from supermarkets -- >> you have no idea what people

are doing. >> to drugstores. >> be treated like a sick person. >> reporter: even an all out airport brawl in fort lauderdale now, with states loosening mask restrictions, but some businesses opting to keep them in place, frontline workers are often caught in the middle back in georgia, the sign outside the supermarket remains. no mask, no service. >> the wearing of the mask and not wearing the mask, people have their own opinion about it, but it is very sensitive at this time we still want to make sure that people know that we're here to make sure that they are safe >> reporter: this morning the georgia bureau of investigation is looking into this incident. no word so far on what charges the alleged gunman might face. hoda. >> blayne alexander for us, thank you. craig joins us now as we turn to that massive chemical plant explosion in northern illinois real scary. >> massive indeed, good morning, good morning to you as well. that blast covered the area in thick, black smoke and debris and forced full scale evacuations. this morning, authorities are

saying that fire could burn for several more days. nbc's meagan fitzgerald is near the scene in rockton good morning >> reporter: good morning. we're nearly 24 hours into when this initial explosion happened, and while you can see this plume is subsiding some, it's still smoldering fire officials still searching for the cause, while there's growing concern here for officials about the potential for an environmental nightmare this morning, a massive chemical fire in rockton, illinois is still burning with no end in sight. >> this is going to be a several day event to have all this product burned off. >> reporter: the initial explosion happened early monday morning at the chemtool plant just outside of rockford, which makes greases, lubricants and cleaning products. >> just see a big like -- of the smoke, which i thought was a cloud, but it turns out that was probably the initial explosion. >> reporter: the blast prompting evacuations within a mile of the plant.

>> we're arriving on the scene i've got a 300 commercial trucks here i have heavy smoke showing >> reporter: some 70 employees were inside the plant when the blast happened incredibly, all of them made it out without any serious injuries >> when we first woke up, we didn't know what it was. >> reporter: james berger lives nearby and could feel the heat from the raging fire. >> so you heard the explosion? >> oh, yeah, and multiple ones every time an explosion went off, the flames would go sky high. >> reporter: neighbors miles outside of town saw debris flying into their yard public health officials worried about air quality, urging residents of up to three miles away to wear masks. >> we've got an environmental concern of an immediate fire with chemicals and then we have items that were not intended to burn. >> reporter: chemtool said in a statement that all the workers at the plant are safe, adding our concern right now is for the safety of all of our employees and the surrounding community. the illinois national guard has been deployed to help more than

40 fire agencies already on scene as investigators search for answers. another environmental concern here is contaminated runoff making its way into a nearby river, and for that reason, fire officials are limiting the amount of water that they're pouring on this blaze, which is why it could burn for days craig. >> my goodness, those images, meagan fitzgerald for us there in illinois, in rockton, thank you. republican congresswoman marjorie taylor greene apologized yesterday for her comments last month comparing mask wearing rules to the holocaust. the apology came just hours after congressman brad schneider announced that he and other lawmakers would introduce a resolution to censure green. her comments were condemned by republicans and democrats alike. here's what she said >> i want to say that i know that words that i've stated were hurtful, and for that i am very sorry. there is no comparison to the holocaust and there never should be and that's what i'm sorry

for. >> greene's a poelg came after she visited the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington earlier in the day it's going to be a record setting heat day out west. big records in arizona, right? >> this is going to be long-lasting that's the big problem with this system, high pressure dominates, and you can see we've got 43 million people under heat advisories, heat watches, heat warnings from texas all the way to the california coast and on up into montana. we're going to be watching this system that brings nearly 100 record high temperatures later on during this week. record highs will be stretching from southern california all the way to des moines, iowa, billings 29 degrees above average at 106 vegas 113, phoenix 118 degrees that's 14 degrees above average. that continues through tomorrow, reno will see 97 and as you look as we get from amarillo all the way to el paso, triple digits. phoenix triple digits, same for palm springs, vegas, sacramento,

las vegas could set a record for number of 115-plus degree days, so we're going to be watching that very closely. a lot of folks head to the mountains to try to get a break. look at this, 6,200 feet, tahoe city, temperatures into the 90s. and we've also got robust fire weather danger, so we are going to be watching this right on into early next week we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds i'm meteorologist kari hall. taking a look at our temperatures for the inland valleys over the next seven

days, today the heat comes up just a little bit, but really ramps up tomorrow. we're looking at a few spots reaching 100 degrees and even more on thursday with highs up to 105 for our inland east bay as well as the north bay. it's still going to be dangerously hot on friday. the weekend we're looking at highs in the low to mid-90s as the sunshine continues. coming up, the tropics are starting to heat up. we'll have details on that. is that your heat-up today >> that's my heat-up >> that's hurricane al right there. coming up, are you headed to a national park this summer? join the club. we're going to take you inside what could be the park service's biggest and busiest season ever and the problems that's already created. plus, no one wants a pothole ridden street, and bridges in disrepair, but here's the question are we willing to pay for things to change? tom costello has an eye opening look at how the state of the united states' infrastructure compares to other countries. but first, this is "today" on

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looking to hire new employees to help with the state's reopening. here at the brit they remolled and want to can't because they more staffing, servers, chefs and food runners. martinez they have the same problem they need employees. apply online or in person. time to get a look at the forecast. today probably is the last day that you can enjoy a nice time outside before the heat comes, kari. >> yes, and tomorrow is when we'll have these heat advisories and excessive heat warnings. some of the hottest temperatures for parts of the north bay, and inland east bay, as our temperatures warm up. but today we're still going to be a little bit warmer than yesterday as we reach into the upper 80s. triple digits start tomorrow. the heat peaks on thursday and still going to be hot on friday this weekend, we're coming back to the 90s, but that's still

going to be very warm, and we'll see that up until early next week. marcus? >> thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. see you then.

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here comes ledecky, greatness and dominance confirmed again that katie ledecky is going back to the olympic games representing team usa. >> katie ledecky out in front, where have i heard that before only at the last two olympics. there's katie ledecky once again punching her ticket. this is going to be her third olympics she is in a class all by herself. she won the women's 400 meter freestyle. but you know what? >> well, she was practically out

of the pool and dried off and people were still coming in. she's doing great, yeah. >> she's amazing. >> five-time gold medal winner by the way, katie's right back in the pool this morning trying to qualify for more events you can catch coverage of the u.s. olympic swimming team trials tonight at 8:00 eastern only on nbc. what do you say we get to other 7:30 headlines so if you are flying on southwest airlines today, get ready for possible flight delays the airline was forced to ground its planes temporarily last night due to an issue with itsmm travelers on social media. weather data provider, around 1,400 flights delayed, setting off a barrage of complaints from travelers on social media. the flights are up and running again. the airline says the ripple effect will be felt all the day long. now to a growing debate in the catholic church. the vatican is warning american bishops not to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights, including president biden. the bishops are expected to debate that issue at a three-day

meeting that starts tomorrow they're split over whether to press ahead with an initiative that could rebuke president biden and others for receiving communion while supporting abortion rights. we've told you a lot about shortages during the coronavirus pandemic the girl scouts seem to have the opposite problem, a massive surplus to the tune of 15 million boxes of unsold cookies. the girl scouts say the pandemic is the main culprit. many troops nixed their traditional cookie booths and door-to-door sales for sa safety reasons. fear not, those delicious treats will not go to waste the bakeries that make the cookies say they are working with the girl scouts to donate some of the cookies to food banks and the military. >> that's a lot of thin mints. >> i want a tag along right now. >> if you put the thin mints in the freezer, they'll last forever. >> there's nothing better. we're now just days away from the official start of summer, and a lot of pandemic weary folks, they are ready to hit the road. >> if you are looking to cross some national parks off your bucket list, you should know they are experiencing a big jump in tourists.

you're not going to be alone they're expected to become even more crowded in the months ahead. >> nbc's morgan chesky is at the great smoky mountains national park in tennessee. hey, morgan. >> reporter: good morning, there's nothing quite like sunrise over the smokies the park used to be one of the most visited in the country. they're already breaking records this year when it comes to visitation it's the same story at parks all across the country before you plan that next road trip, you might want to start planning now from coast to coast, our national parks having a moment the pristine protected lands seeing a huge surge in popularity >> oh, everything's busier >> it's so nice to be back and be outside and enjoying the outdoors >> reporter: millions of people who have been cooped up indoors during the pandemic now ready to get outside for a little fresh air and a whole lot of nature in tennessee, the great smoky mountains preparing to face its busiest season ever.

>> so far in 2021 we have set monthly visitation records january through may. >> reporter: the park ranger says it presents new challenges. the popular sites now more congested than ever on trails, in parking lots, and camping sites. >> are you confident the park will be able to keep up with this surge in popularity >> it's going to be a challenging year for all of our staff. with this level of visitation, we simply can't do it on our own. each person coming to the smokies has to take some responsibility for their trash and their behaviors so that we can take care of this place that they're coming to enjoy. >> reporter: at canyon lands national park in utah, lines of cars seemingly longer than some of the trails just to get inside at famed arches national park, an even tougher scene with some being turned away after driving hours to find parking lots f money and a lot of time trying to get over there. >> reporter: she's not alone,

adventure enthusiast alyssa nickerson said this summer visits come with a bit more strategy. >> it might change how we go about our hikes. i don't think it will change the fact that i want to go to all of the national parks, but it requires more planning certainly. >> other tourists turning to social media to vent one posting yellowstone park is so annoying, you can't even enjoy anything because it's so crowded. back in the smokies, fly fisherman jeff marmer choosing to focus on finding that perfect cast crowds or not. >> it's definitely more packed than i'm remembering. >> can you still find that peace and quiet? >> absolutely. there's still places so even though there's people, everybody seems to be friendly, smoky mountains brings the best out of people. >> it's so beautiful of course everybody wants to go. do you have any tips to keep in mind if you want to avoid the crowds and the long lines at the parks? >> reporter: yeah, rangers have a few. they say you might want to have a backup plan even when it comes to your own vacation this year simply because so many people are coming out

they also say it's not just the time of day when you're looking to going to some of these destinations consider coming on a weekday over a weekend or wait until peak season has passed altogether also important to note, some of these national parks do have a reservation system you can take advantage of in fact, they've already gotten so crowded here at the smokies they have a pilot program in place when it comes to reserving camp sites ahead of time they're filling up fast. >> faster now that we see how beautiful it is behind you, morgan, thank you so much. >> postcard perfect there. just ahead, are you frustrated by your commute, specifically the condition of the roads, the potholes or maybe mass transportation? >> tom costello doing a deep dive on how american infrastructure stacks up against the rest of the world amid calls for change he'll have that story right after this or psoriatic arthritis, little things, can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream... ...it's a pill that treats differently.

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including the roosevelt bridge between virginia and washington built in 1964 and the chances are you see signs of decay where you live every single day. how many times has it happened to you, you hit a pothole and it ruins your tires and rims? >> i'm mad i'm real upset i'm real upset because, i mean, we shouldn't have to drive on highways like this >> reporter: the nation's civil engineers warn america's under investment in infrastructure could undermine america's global competitiveness. take bridges, for example, of 600,000 nationwide, 46,000 are structurally deficient the world economic forum ranks the u.s. 13th in infrastructure behind countries big and small, including singapore, japan, south korea, france, and the uk. china is 36th and climbing as it and other countries upgrade railroads, ports, airports, broadband, clean water, roads, and bridges.

if you travel internationally, you've probably seen it yourself driving across belgium, austria, switzerland and germany, the roads are in remarkable condition. in fact, i haven't driven across a single piece of crewed up road or a pothole >> reporter: and while the u.s. has only one high speed train that briefly hits 150 miles per hour in the northeast, asian and european trains travel much faster nbc's claudio lavanga on the red arrow, rome to naples. >> this train will hit a top speed of 190 miles per hour. for decades europe has invested heavily in high-speed trains, cutting down on air and road traffic and rushing people between cities >> they're absolutely fantastic, always on time. >> reporter: china is investing heavily across the board nbc's janis mackey frayer is in beijing. >> china is already equipped

with some of the world's biggest airports this is beijing's newest the plan now to build at least a dozen airports a year and by 2035 to have enough high speed rail lines to circle the earth twice. >> reporter: back in the u.s., where is the ship going? >> so this vessel will travel about 30 days. it is going to vietnam, hong kong, three ports in china and singapore. >> reporter: the port of new orleans is spending $1.5 billion just to accommodate the newest ships that carry double the cargo from asian ports that are already big enough >> people need supplies. they need goods. that's how products get to stores that's how products get to homes. >> reporter: that global cargo traffic only increased during the pandemic importantly, in many countries with more modern roads, ports and railroads, citizens do pay more in taxes. the u.s. transportation secretary says it is time for a big national upgrade >> we've been getting by on the investments thatde generations ago when we were

fixing the nation's infrastructure has bipartisan support. the sticking point is how much we're willing to pay >> that is a big question, tom, and congress is debating the price of that infrastructure bill, but how much is it expected to cost >> reporter: are you ready for this one the nation's civil engineers say $2.6 trillion, and if the country doesn't do it, we'll lose about $10 trillion in global growth in about 15, 20 years or so and we could lose millions of jobs but the problem is, as you know, here in washington it comes down to the money republicans and democrats are divided and so this is still a work in progress but both sides right now still not coming to terms of agreement on how much to spend >> all right, tom, thanks, and we also should mention we're going to have a lot more on our america the vulnerable series throughout the week today, on "nightly" and on nbcnews.com.

>> it's fascinating, we're covering the back and forth in washington, the infrastructure bill and negotiations. it's good to see what we're talking about. >> i didn't realize our ports, apparently the port of new orleans, i didn't realize how far behind we were when compared to our peers mr. roker, how about another check of the weather. >> you mentioned peers and ports. >> you can pay me now, you can pay me later let's get on it. let's get on the weather, show you we got some heavy rain now developing down through florida. it's going to be a wet one over the next several days. through wednesday we could be talking about three inches of rain or more we're also watching this tropical storm bill. the good news is it's going to be a fish storm moving out to sea, 240 miles southeast of nantucket, moving northeast at 31 miles per hour, but we're invest 92-l. 70% chance of development over the next five days, and this is going to be a potent weather maker, whether it becomes a tropical system or not low pressure will drift to the north on friday. heavy bands of rain form in the

gulf saturday it's a high probability of this becoming a tropical system bringing gusty winds. heavy rain over places where we've already seen anywhere from 10 to 11 inches of rain over the last several days, and then sunday the system continues to move slowly to the north heavy rain will expand into the central gulf right now between friday and sunday, we're looking at one to five inches of rain, especially from louisiana into the panhandle of florida but that depends on how slow this system moves. we'll be watching that very carefully. for today strong storms developing down through the gulf a little wet weather up through northern new england sunshine through the central great lakes and the midwest. more sunshine, more heat continuing from texas all the way into the southwest record highs into the plains, and the drought continues out west, too. so you have the heat, you have the drought, it's a real mess out there. that's what's going on a good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're going to see today

temperatures coming up slightly for our inland valleys, reaching into the upper 80s but tomorrow the heat ramps up and some spots reaching up to 100 degrees, even hotter on thursday, with all of this heat, we will continue with the fire danger as the dry conditions are really causing that and we are going to see still some temperatures reaching into the 90s for the weekend, for some of our warmest spots inland, while san francisco will be in the 70s. and that is your weather. hoda. all right, al, thank you just ahead, a lengthy apology from chrissy teigen in the wake of what she calls a humbling cyberbullying scandal. we'll hear from her after these messages ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪

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good morning. it's 7:56. i'm marcus washington. here is what's happening now. as california fully opens. >> reporter: i'm sharon katsuda in downtown san jose, businesses throughout the bay area are looking to hire new employees to help with the state's reopening. here a remodel they want to reopen today but still can't because they need more staffing, and they're looking to hire servers and chefs and food runners. in martinez other businesses also tell us they have the same problem, they need employees. if you're looking for a job, apply online or in person. time to get a look at the forecast for you this tuesday morning. meteorologist kari hall has a look at that and how temperatures are headed our way. >> yes, we've been talking about

the heat but it doesn't get here until tomorrow, when the heat advisories and excessive heat warnings about l into g into effect from wednesday through friday, as we could see triple digit temperatures for the bay area. warmup today upper 80s inland for this afternoon. tomorrow a high up to 100 degrees and for some spots in the inland valleys and reaching 105 as we look at spots like gilroy, and livermore, as well as concord and into the next few days. we'll see slight cooldown for the weekend. marcus, it's still going to be hot. >> hot indeed. thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update in 30 minutes.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, taking aim. president biden delivers a direct message to vladimir putin ahead of their high stakes summit, now less than 24 hours away. >> if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past, then we will respond. >> we're live with the latest. >> then saying sorry, chrissy t. teigen breaks her silence on social media to address cyberbullying allegations. what she's saying about her past online behavior. plus, real talk, a candid

conversation about fatherhood. craig opens up to al and carson about his relationship with his own dad. >> was he around much? >> he was there, he was there physically, but you know, and he worked third shift, which didn't help the older we got, the worse the drinking got, and by the time i left for college, like we were, you know, almost estranged in some ways. >> just ahead, how his father's struggles and resilience helped shape craig into the dad he is today. ♪ welcome back ♪ and live from studio 1a, you heard that right, we are rolling out the red carpet for tina fey as she becomes our first in-person guest in more than 400 days we'll talk with tina about her like to be back, today, tuesday, june 15th, 2021. >> we are the hanson family from camp michigan and from our big family, we want to wish a happy and healthy summer.

>> hi, my name is carolyn, and i would love to meet you in person ♪ >> hello "today," we are tony from decatur, illinois. >> thank you for helping us celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. >> two tonys >> welcome back to "today," it's tuesday. so great to see you. so happy you're with us. >> yeah, because as we said, we are about to be joined right here in our studio by our very first guest, live guest, since the start of the pandemic. we're not excited. all right, yes, we are we have literally rolled out the red carpet. a live trumpeter, you guys, beca fey is about to >> she is going to be so embarrassed. >> she'll be like -- no, tina,

this is your life. >> can't wait. it's going to be great. first let's get a check of your news at 8:00. overseas this morning, president biden is finishing talks on trade disputes and other global challenges with european leaders, and he is sending signals to russian president vladimir putin ahead of their face-to-face meeting tomorrow. "weekend today" coanchor peter alexander joins us now with the very latest. hey, peter, good morning >> reporter: hey, hoda, good morning to you president biden this morning wrapping up his meetings with those european allies including another royal visit, this time with the king of belgium obviously all of this ahead of his high stakes summit with vladimir putin the president touting the relationships here as rock solid before he heads off to geneva today and describing vladimir putin as bright and tough, saying he is a worthy adversary, but also saying he's prepared to confront putin over russia's

malign activities, including ransomware attacks on u.s. food and oil supplies that the u.s. government blames on hackers inside of russia the president saying if putin chooses not to cooperate and keeps acting the same way we will respond critics of the president are suggesting he's rewarding putin by giving him this meeting it will only be the second time that putin and president biden have met over the -- in its entirety though the president says that allies here have said that they're thanking him for doing the meeting, and we're learning new details about the preparation for the meeting as well, including days before coming to europe, president biden huddling with outside russia experts to discuss ho best to deal with vladimir putin. hoda, back to you. >> peter alexander for us, thank you. some police officers in ocean city, maryland, are under fire this morning for enforcing a local vaping ban aggressively. this after two separate incidents a week apart showing teenagers being kneed and even tased. nbc's kathy park joins us with the details. kathy, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you those controversial incidents

took place right here on the boardwalk considered a smoke free zone. there are designated areas where you can smoke and vape police say they're out here trying to enforce rules. others argue that the officers crossed the line >> chaos on a busy boardwalk in maryland in this now viral video captured on saturday, a swarm of ocean city police officers can be seen hitting a young man to the ground as they try to make an arrest. one officer repeatedly kneeing the teenager officers later using a taser on a different teen who appeared to get in the middle of the scuffle. according to police, the situation escalated after officers tried to stop a large group that was vaping in a prohibited area. police say one teen became disorderly, refusing to provide i.d. and resisting arrest. and they say an 18-year-old

tried to hit an officer with a bike as the crowd grew, bystanders stopped to record the tense scene. four teens were arrested and charged with counts including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and second-degree assault. the incident will go through a multilevel examination but noted that our officers are permitted to use force per their training to overcome exhibited resistance a week earlier >> get down, get down! >> reporter: another video from ocean city shows officers using a taser on 18-year-old taizier griffin. >> you all did that for no reason. >> reporter: it's unknown what happened before the cameras started recording. police say the teen also violated a vaping ban, then became disorderly and resisted arrest, but his brother who was there says griffin was only trying to take off his backpack as instructed by officers. >> it just happened so quick he reached for his book bag, next thing i know he's on the ground. >> reporter: police arrested griffin on multiple charges including assault, disorderly

conduct, and resisting arrest. >> something completely menial turned into violating my child, treating him like he was an animal >> reporter: and all of the teens arrested have since been released the mayor of ocean city also released a statement saying that both of the viral incidents are now under investigation. he also noted that, yes, there is a ban prohibiting vaping on the boardwalk, but vaping itself is not an arrestable offense savannah. >> all right, kathy park in ocean city thank you. meanwhile, the nation is marking two very different milestones in the covid pandemic the number of american lives lost has now surpassed 600,000, but overnight, the first state to impose a lockdown, california, rolled back nearly all its restrictions stadiums and theme parks can now operate at full capacity meanwhile, health experts are warning that the delta variant, which delayed great britain's

reopening will likely become the dominant strain here in the united states, but new data does suggest that current vaccines offer protection against it. all right, there we have it for the news how about a little boost here we go, three years ago high school basketball player nick herman was told that he would never play again because of a cancerous tumor in his leg, but after four surgeries, nick came back more determined than ever and last weekend he put up a three-point shot, a buzzer beater in the division championship take a look. now that was a game winner, and by the way, kept the team's s sl record perfect, 29-0 nick hopes that his story will inspire other people fighting tough odds man, that was magic right there. >> under pressure, too, wow. >> way to go nick. just ahead, the fathers of "today" share a pre-father's day

get-together to chat about their dads, some kids, and some deeply personal revelations craig has a new book it's out today, it's called "pops. >> let's just say there were a few beers, a few laughs, a couple of tears as well. but first, these messages. what happens to your body language when your underarms are cared for? ♪ ♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree. at pure leaf saying no is the most important ingredient in making herbal iced tea. by selecting the finest botanicals, we say... no caffeine. no stress. no better way to relax after a long day of anything. pure leaf. no is beautiful.

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get the conversation started than to have craig sit down with some friends and dads he knows well. >> the other two. >> i invited al and carson up to my house for some barbecue, some beer and real talk about fatherhood, including what it was like for me to grow up with a dad who struggled mightily with addiction how we reconciled and how our relationship shaped the kind of dad i'm trying to be there's something remarkable about the bond between a father and his son, but for some guys, the path there can be a windy one. >> the first line of your book gets me. do you remember the opening line >> yeah, he was born in west virginia. >> that's how the book opens whoa. >> now i'm a dad sharing the story of my own father felt like something i needed to do it's a story of resilience, a story of overcoming. it's a story of when there's someone that you love, you don't write them off >> what prompted it? it's a pretty honest, raw look at a situation that a lot of

people might not be willing to share. >> it was cheaper than therapy during the pandemic. no, you know, it was a couple of things when i started doing the series for the show on dads, i started to meet a lot of guys like us who were extraordinary in terms of the way they parent, but otherwise ordinary folks, and i think that led me to start to really look at the relationship i had with my dad. we've come a long way, but growing up it was hard >> growing up in columbia, south carolina, my mom betty jo was a constant presence for my brother ryan and me, showering us with love and attention we never doubted that our father lawrence loved us, too, but he worked the overnight shift at the postal service and he drank. >> was he around much? >> yeah, i mean, he was -- he was there. he was there physically, but you know, and he worked third shift,

which didn't help, obviously he was sleeping during the day, working at night the older we got, the worse the drinking got, and by the time i left for college, like we were -- we were almost estranged in some ways >> he was a black man in the south, had a tough time. >> yeah. >> different time. >> yes >> you know, this is something i found out during the course of the book like my dad didn't know who his father was until he was almost a teenager and i think it's wholly unrealistic to expect someone to be something they haven't seen so my dad -- you know, he didn't have a dad, and so he did, you know, exponentially better than his father had done. >> right >> after decades of struggling with alcohol, in 2018 my family staged an intervention dad agreed to enter a rehab facility in georgia. i'll never forget my first visit there. >> he gives me this hug, and i'm crying, he's crying. he gives me this letter that he's written 40 years my dad's never written

me a letter. he's written me this letter, and we sat, and we had breakfast, and it was just -- like it's one of those, like i know on my death bed i'll remember that day, that moment >> everything changed between us, and after years of strife, we forged a real connection. >> what is your relationship with him now >> best it's ever been like he'll call now, just random middle of the day, hey, i just called to check on you >> has he read the book? >> he was the first person that read it. >> what did he say about it? >> it was probably the most nervous i've been minus when i proposed to my wife. it's all there it's good, it's good that's it. that's all he said. >> my father's struggle and his resilience shaped me as a dad. i consider it the luckiest role i've ever had. >> and i've seen you as a parent, as a dad you're a terrific dad. how did you make the jump? >> fortunately along the way i've always had men in my life

who, you know, i could look at and emulate their behavior personally, professionally like you two, i consider both of you mentors. you for different reasons than carson. >> age, yeah >> longevity, although, al, i guess the same could be said for you. carson daly has been in the game a long time. >> i have, four kids >> i've heard you talk about the relationship you had with your dad. >> you had, it sounds like, a pretty solid relationship with your dad i have one now, i'm thankful for it now i wish i'd had it, you know, 20 years ago, but what can you do >> if there's anything i've learned, it's that sometimes you can make up for lost time, and seeing my own dad dote over his grandkids, there's really nothing better >> we went to del's soccer game. he's on the sideline, like he's like coaching the team he was that into it. first 30 seconds of the game, my son hadn't scored all season first 30 second of the game, dribble, dribble, dribble, shoot, score having him experience that in

terms of our relationship right now, it's just -- i'm so thankful for it. >> i've seen these pictures of your dad with your kids. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> and it makes me smile i think about it now and what a great gift >> it's the greatest gift, al. >> oh, that was beautiful. >> thank you >> how are you feeling today, by the way? >> nervous, anxious, worried, all of that, but hopeful and we talked about this, the idea is that my dad's story and our story helps someone, helps someone who's struggling with addiction. helps a family that has ostracized someone who's struggling with addiction perhaps. the idea is to help, to do some good. >> it's never too late i love that this happened in the fourth quarter it took 40 years, you wish it happened 20 years ago, but it is what it is now it's a happy ending. >> we never gave up.

>> you have a lot of courage to write the story. i have to hand it to mr. melvin. he has a lot of courage to let you tell it. >> i wrote the book for him. i didn't realize that until i was probably 20% in. there's something to be said for forgiving your parents when they're alive. i wrote it to him, it's a love letter to him, a love letter to fatherhood the highlight was i had to interview him for hours. there's like four hours of recordings, which is priceless. my kids will be able to hear their dad's voice. >> did you write anything in the book that you pulled out >> there were a couple of things that my mother asked that perhaps we remove. >> what about that letter, that made me so curious that he handed you a letter that was a life-changer was it just full of things you didn't know? >> it's in the safe. it was his story he had written his story it was as if he had wanted to

say all these things to me over the years, and he couldn't, so he wrote it down he gave me the letter and -- >> another gift. >> yes >> we got to give a shoutout to betty jo because when you talked about -- you know, how did you get here you didn't have the father you wanted to have when you were young. why are you so successful, why do you have this beautiful family and a wonderful career? betty jo melvin held your hand and your brother's hand, we're giving a shoutout. >> i could have called the book pops and betty jo. god's grace and betty jo melvin. she put the family on her back for a number of years. >> we're really happy and proud of you >> thank you >> thanks for making the drive by the way. >> oh, please, it was our pleasure. >> i heard it was real cool out there, too everyone's sweating. >> you all were mopping your heads. >> it was fun. >> the beer was cold.

>> it was fun. >> we really enjoyed getting together we're going to have more of our conversation coming up in the third hour again, "pops", learning to become a son and a father. it's out today >> it would be a very good father's day gift. >> you might want to get two, one to give and one to keep. >> put one in the safe. >> did you talk to the publisher? >> al, you got a check of the weather? >> that's right. let's show you what we have going on out there a lot of wet weather down through florida. we're also looking at wet weather making its way out of the new england area for the rest of the country, big part of the country, going to be record-setting temperatures from texas, the gulf all the way up into the plains and out into the southwest with temperatures 90s and 100s over an extended period of time. strong storms firing up through the southeast. record highs all the way up into the northern plains and some sunshine making its way through the southwest. good morning. i'm taking a look at our high temperatures today. we'll reach into the upper 80s this afternoon so just a little

bit warmer compared to yesterday. and then tomorrow is when the heat really ramps up and the heat advisory is going to go into effect. we'll also have to watch fire danger. over the next few days we'll see some of our hottest spots in the inland areas reach over 100 degrees. it is going to be pretty warm this weekend reaching into the low 90s while san francisco will be in the mid 70s. door, check us out on the radio sirius xm channel 108 today, at 1:00 it is "off the rails". >> time for "pop start". chrissy teigen is back online to address recent accusations of past cyberbullying with more on that nbc news now anchor joe fryer joins us. >> good morning. >> for chrissy teigen, this is a return to social media, resurfacing after what she calls a very humbling few weeks spent thinking about her past online this morning chrissy teigen is publicly a

address past tweets and cyberbullying. on monday writing in a lengthy blog post i know i've been quiet, and lord knows you don't want to hear about me, but i want you to know i've been sitting in a hole of deserved global punishment, the ultimate sit here and think about what you've done. last month teigen's decade old tweets resurfaced showing a string of harassment directed at model and tv personality courtney stodden she told the then-teenager in a tweet deleted, that she wanted is the todden to take a dirt nap. stodden who identifies as nonbinary made headlines in 2011 when they married 50-year-old actor doug hutchinson at age 15. the two have since divorced. teigen first addressed the controversy in may saying she has tried to connect with stodden and tweeting i'm mortified and sad at who i used to be. i was an insecure, attention seeking troll. i'm sorry.

michael costello posted screen shots of instagram dms fro teigen saying he's traumatized, and has thoughts of suicide after online interactions in 2014, and alleges teigen tried to ruin his career in her blog post, teigen says she's privately reaching out to people she has hurt. not a day, not a single moment has passed where i haven't felt the crushing weight of regret for the things i've said in the past i have to stop and wonder how could i have done that asking not for forgiveness but for patience, writing we are all more than our worst moments. teigen goes on to say she'll be taking more time off to be with family and hopes that she will be allowed to own up to these past mistakes in the future. thank you very much for that next up simone biles, the gymnastic g.o.a.t. has stuck a landing on the cover of glamour magazine the seven-time national gymnastics champ is decked out in red, white and blue, a celebration of simone

representing team usa this summer in tokyo. she opened up on what's it's been like preparing for the postponed olympics and taking care of her mental health. she sat down to debunk some common misconceptions about gymnastics this one she says she hears all the time, it may surprise you. >> that gymnastics is not a sport. i hear this a lot, but i feel like every four years everybody tunes in to watch gymnastics so it's got to be a sport at least. i train 32 to 34 hours a week, just to compete for about three or four minutes. it's all sports combined in one. you can't just be fast, you have to have agility. you have to be able to jump and flip, memorize routines. >> gymnastics is not a sport >> no, what? that's ridiculous. >> you can check out the full glamour cover story online now for more info on where to find it you can go to today.com >> that's amazing too. >> wait a second look outside. >> you hear a horn out there >> wait a minute >> what are we looking at? >> people, that's a double-decker bus.

>> they're always out there. >> it's not a group. >> it is tina fey. >> come in 1a is open. whoo hoo >> we're open. >> hello >> hello, tina, what a sight for sore eyes. >> watch out for that traffic light. >> i'm coming to see you >> we're waiting. >> we are waiting for you. >> no one is driving this bus. [ laughter ] >> tina is our first guest in studio 1a in 455 long days you know, when we at the "today" show get excited about something, we go big >> we're going huge. >> it makes sense, she's the queen of 30 rock the perfect first guest. >> hello, hello. >> we've got a red carpet waiting for you. >> oh, my gosh i cannot wait, hoda. i cannot wait. >> giddy up, get off that bus and come hang out with us, studio 1a, we have a lot to catch up but first, a look at your local news and weather

good morning. it's 8:26. don't forget to mark today's full reopening of businesses across the state. two lucky state residents will win $1.5 million in california's final back for the win lottery. any californian with at least one covid vaccination is automatically entered. governor newsom yesterday announced new prizes, all expense paid dream vacations and the winners will be announced early july. another juicy incentive for anyone who still has not gotten their shot. today should be a great day to get out and enjoy the weather before things get warmer later

this week. good morning. we're taking a look at these high temperatures that will reach into the mid 80s for the north bay as well as some upper 80s and even 90 degrees in antioch today. as you head over to palo alto we're looking at a high of 79 degrees. then tomorrow the heat kicks in. all of these excessive heat warnings and advisories will be in effect starting at 11:00. we can see some of the highs over 100 degrees. a couple days of some hot weather. it comes down to the 90s for the weekend. >> all right. we'll have another local news update in a half hour.

what if you could push a button and less carbon would be put into the air. if there was a button that would help you use less energy, breathe cleaner air, and even take on climate change... would you press it?

♪ feeling good ♪ >> 8:30 now, tuesday morning, june 15th, 2021. remember that date will live in

history because, ladies and gentlemen, we are about to welcome back into our studio our very first guest in 450 trillion days tina fey >> she's in the green room. >> i think she left her bus in the red zone. >> i know. >> going to get a boot. >> we can't wait to see tina in studio, and another friend is joining us, our pal close to our hearts, maria shriver up early on the west coast. she's going to tell us about a new ray of hope for families touched by alzheimer's always so good to see her. >> folks, you know lin-manuel miranda is the creator of "hamilton" and "in the heights." what was he like before all the fame coming up in the third hour, sheinelle is going to introduce us to his mother. >> very cool tomorrow on "today," how's this for a dynamic duo, bruce springsteen and the killers

are going to treat us to an exclusive performance you're not going to want to missing >> another reminder, father's day sunday, and if you still have gifts to buy, we're going to make it easy for you. just scan that qr code or head to today.com/shop for a big batch of exclusive deals >> or just go to the bookstore and buy "pops". >> makes life easy. >> a nice local bookstore would be good. al, you got a check of the weather? >> absolutely. today we're looking at a lot of heat out west. in fact, western third of the country we'll see record heat, strong storms throw the southeast, plenty of sunshine, great lakes into the upper plains for tomorrow, those strong storms develop again through the upper plains more record highs out west, storms continue down through florida, sunshine from the gulf coast up into the northeast and mid-atlantic states. that's what's going on around good morning. we'll see our temperatures today heating up into the upper 80s and a lot of sunshine. the fire danger increases as our temperatures go up. we'll see that starting

tomorrow, continuing through thursday when we reach the peak of the hot temperatures over 100 degrees. for the weekend it's still going to be hot with highs in the 90s, but we won't see the significant heat up for san francisco. we're mostly looking at low to mid 70s over the next few days. t weather. >> all right, mr. roker now to a big announcement that involves you. >> in case you were not aware, our friend al roker has multiple guinness world record titles under his belt. >> it's a big belt. >> it is all thanks to a beloved "today" tradition simply known as roker-a-thon. >> you've got big news what's cooking baby? >> without further adieu, we're excited to officially announce that roker-a-thon is back, baby. this is rokerthon. a "today" tradition that started with a 34-hour marathon weather forecast >> let the rokerthon begin >> reporter: and my first

guinness world records title >> see you all later >> reporter: since then, i've reported the weather in all 50 states in one week, 25 down, 25 more to go >> a crab walk, conga line and freeze tagged my way through college campuses all across the nation. >> we are going to try to make the guinness world record for the world's largest freeze tag. >> i've led 60 plus chefs in a sandwich making relay on zoom. >> whoa, sandwich down, sandwich down. >> reporter: i've ridden planes, trains and winnebagos to help set nine world records this year it's all about your neck of the woods. we're teaming up with more than 50 news stations and colleges all across the country to set the guinness world record title for most people in an online weather reporting video relay. they're joining us from beaches, parks, and stadiums all to honor america the beautiful and the summer forecast for her

reopening. >> wow >> there it is roker's weather relay. we're going to be on a beach to kick things off with a forecast. then we'll be passing the baton or beach balls on to our stations for their summer forecast, and share how their area is going to bounce back we've got some incredible things in store you'll be able to travel all around the country, take in all these sites, and hang out from the comfort of your living room. all you have to do is tune in monday morning we're going to be going all day, streaming the whole thing on today.com. >> we've been waiting for you, babe. >> is there a guinness world record for the most world records? because you are in contention. >> i don't think we're even close. >> might be. >> maybe rokerthon 50 will get it done. coming up next, our very special guest right here in studio 1a, tina fey. she's got some big news about

delicia: this is where all our recycling is sorted -- 1.2 million pounds every day, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. but that's not all you'll find here. there are hundreds of good-paying jobs, with most new workers hired from bayview-hunter's point. we don't just work at recology, we own it, creating opportunity and a better planet. now, that's making a difference.

♪ ♪ going to be famous together ♪ ♪ >> you know, there are not many songs that make you want to sing along and laugh at the same time peacock's new hit series "girls5eva" has more than 30 awesome songs that do just that, oh, and so much more, hoda. >> y'all, it is super duper hot. the show is getting emmy buzz. it follows a '90s girl group looking to make a comeback 20 years later. tina fey happens to be executive producer of this laugh-out-loud comedy, and we've been waiting for you, tina. she's joining us in person, coming down the red carpet. >> let's go, tina! yeah >> wait, stretch it out, it's your moment. >> do something that we haven't done in a long time, hug someone. >> we can? oh, my gosh. >> i have a slight head cold,

but don't worry. >> i would welcome a head cold, guys, i am so honored to be here i don't know how i got to be this person, but i want to thank all of you guys for keeping all of us outside 1a like tethered to reality for the last year and a half every milestone that you guys -- when you guys came back together, these were such like uplifting moments of optimism for the rest of us so thank you and thank you so much for inviting me to be here. >> that's so sweet >> were we on your pandemic bucket list after it was over to come >> yes, yes. 100% >> well, you were on ours. i mean, there's so much to talk to you about we actually celebrated your 50th birthday together on zoom. >> yes, i remember, and you guys gave me golden double stuffed oreos. >> we're good look like that now you have an entrance that's even better. what has the last year been like for you? what does it feel like to get back to normal >> yeah, it feels great to be here we were lucky enough that we were able to work. nbc universal took really good

care of us and our crew, and so we were able to make "girls5eva" and to finish the season of "mr. mayor" during the pandemic and it is -- to be able to be around other people and make things has been a great blessing for all of us. >> i think, i mean, this show made -- we feel like it's like the "ted lasso" for girls. it's so much fun to watch. we loved it. i was just thinking you created this thing during the pandemic now you've got emmy buzz now you're renewed for season 2. >> yesterday morning, yes, "girls5eva" will be back for season 2, so all the more reason to check out season 1 on peacock now. my friend meredith is the leader of the show and she is just one of the funniest people ever. >> did you know, did you think this is gold right here? we have something going. >> yeah, i knew that meredith was a joke machine, and then once we were able to get this cast, sara bareilles and busy phillips, paula pell, you feel like you know when something is very juicy >> well, cast is so magical. i mean, they really mix.

it's the music it's the funny writing, it's all of it together you have folks like sarah bareilles, she was super nervous because she's a great singer she hadn't really thought about being an actress or a comedic actress. >> yes, i had seen sarah in waitress on broadway, and i was like, oh, she's a wonderful actress and i'd seen her be really funny hosting the tony awards and also i just really like casting i like finding people and so once we got her -- and she's fantastic. she's an absolute natural. >> the music is the other star of the show. i'm sorry, those songs, i was literally almost peeing my pants listening to some of them. who came up with those songs >> thank you for asking. the music, my husband jeff richmond writes pretty much all the music for the show, with the exception of a song. and meredith, obviously wrote the bulk of the lyrics for the show

>> can we play the tiny bud song >> you're part of "girls5eva," right? i remember you, you had that song on the sound track of blue crush. >> tbf, tiny butts forever, to silver dollar pancakes and jeans. ♪ this will be what people ask forever, tbf tiny butts in jeans ♪ >> right on. i think meredith is great at nailing those jokes. calling out things from the '90s, and you're like, that's crazy. and then jeff makes the songs sound really good and the women sing really well >> that's the humor, it sounds good and then you listen to the words and it's ridiculous.

>> what if we had a concert? >> let's do it today >> could we? >> outside, we have a summer concert series >> yes >> could you imagine >> by the way, those girls can sing off the hook together that harmony is great. >> they sound great together. >> there is another rising star in the show. >> oh, yeah. >> name is penelope rich mond. >> do you know her >> i live with her >> you gave birth to her. >> i gave birth to her and i will be cooking her vegetarian chicken nuggets later. our daughter penelope ended up being in the show. there was a part for a 9-year-old, and i was like if we don't let her audition for this, she's going to kill us. >> you didn't give her the part. >> she auditioned. she put herself on tape, and then meredith is like should we give her the part? no, i can't let the boss's kid get the first job they ever audition for but she did really well. we hired another kid, and then because of the pandemic, the kid was out of state and couldn't come in, and i was like, penelope, you're up. and she did a great job, and she was super professional and, you know, for like kind of a grim year of like distance learning

and all that stuff, it was a little treat for her it is funny when you have your first kid, absolutely not, you're so strict and then there's the second kid, what do you want you want to get a tattoo >> were you super nervous too? >> i, you know, i know the whole crew the crew has been with us since "30 rock" so i felt like no matter what it would be okay, but i was very, very proud of her because, you know, it's one of those moments where you're like, oh, you brought all your manners today. like that's the main thing, right? as a parent, and i'm like, oh, your manners were lovely >> exactly please don't pick your nose. that's all we're asking. >> no, she would never. >> there's a cameo from one carson daly, but it's a vocal cameo. how did this come about? >> i've been trying to slow play carson onto the show, now that we know there's a season 2, don't think i won't be back, carson. >> let's go. >> so again, it was the middle of the pandemic. we didn't want to bother you too much at first we were casting a look alike because we had flashbacks to old music videos.

we were trying to cast a carson daly look alike, sound alike my husband, every guy, he was like, what about this guy? no, carson has piercing blue eyes all right, buddy i think it's because he has blue eyes too and he knows they're his like most valuable weapon. we ended up getting carson, begging carson to voiceover. honestly, carson, you're iconic. >> wow >> it doesn't work. >> i wanted to do it in person, actually, but the pandemic, it was like impossible to do. >> it was madness. i think you were doing the voice. >> that's why we've got season 2. >> let's talk about your other show, "mr. mayor." i'm going to roll a clip and then let's talk about it. >> hey, tommy. how much do we spend to take care of the city's car >> $50 million a year, sir >> 50? you have any idea how many miles of bus lane i could buy with that a bunch i'll bet >> i have been trying to call attention to this topic for years. palm trees are not even supposed to be here the 1932 olympics to trick

a waterless scorpion graveyard. >> so palm trees are expensive, dangerous, and they shouldn't be here in the first place. >> like an nfl franchise, sir. >> holly hunter, incredible, and you're writing season 2 right now? >> we're writing season 2 right now. season 1 is available on peacock, if you want to check it out. it's ted danson, holly hunter and our own beloved bobby moynihan from snl. they are just also a dream cast. >> tina, thank you, you're going to come back and join me is and jenna at 10:00 because we've got more to talk about, and we're going to have a special performance of "girls5eva," i think it's the song sarah bareilles wrote. >> do you want to do a big exit since you did a big entrance we can roll some music show that tiny butt. >> oh, i can't show you a 21st century butt ♪ >> tina fey, first live guest. >> we love you >> i love the "today" show >> up next, maria shriver sh to her heart, but fit this is rs

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welcome back, june is welcome back june is alzheimer's and brain awareness month, and for millions of families every advance brings much-needed hope. >> our special anchor maria shriver has long been on the front of alzheimer's since her father passed away from the disease. >> and this morning, maria joins us with some inspiring news. hey, maria we missed you. >> hi, i'm so happy to see you all. gosh, good morning, everybody. more than 6 million americans have alzheimer's, and for their families, it's known as the long good-bye, solving the mysteries of alzheimer's has become a mission of mine, and it's led to the creation of a very special center a decade after i lost my own dad to this devastating disease. >> i think to describe daddy was to describe him as handsome, full of life, full of energy

he was absolutely brilliant. and to then sit across from that person and hear them say to you who are you, it blows your mind to watch somebody become a child in front of your very eyes ten years ago i lost my dad, sergeant shriver to alzheimer's a disease that ravaged his memory and his mind, leaving my family to grieve even while he was still alive. so it made me start asking questions. was there anything he could have done differently might that happen to me? in 2010 i released the shriver report on alzheimer's, which was the very first to find that women are disproportionately impacted, making up two-thirds of all patients. in the last decade, researchers have made more stunning discoveries that alzheimer's can start developing in the brain as early as your 30s and up to 40%

of dementia cases could potentially be prevented just through changes in lifestyle >> this is a huge milestone. >> reporter: last summer here on "today," i announced my partnership with the cleveland clinic opening the world's first alzheimer's prevention center for women. based in las vegas, it's enrolled more than 100 women ages 30 to 60 with a family history of alzheimer's each woman goes through a battery of tests, then gets a personalized intervention program to improve their brain health through diet, physical and cognitive exercise, better sleep, and stress reduction. habits all associated with a lower risk for alzheimer's >> we give women scores on things like how stressed they are, how depressed they are, how isolated they are. those things are risk factors. >> reporter: for 36-year-old marjorie gray, the program has been a beacon of hope. her father, bill, suffers from

alzheimer's. >> did you feel like i'm destined to get alzheimer's? >> oh, yeah. >> you did >> i know what it's been like to watch my dad go through this, and i can't imagine having children of my own and having them watch me go through this. >> reporter: marjorie enrolled in the prevention program last summer, giving up red meat, dairy and processed sugars for brain healthy fish, leafy greens and berries. she does cardio every day and exercises her brain with crossword puzzles. to reduce the stress of her job as a google manager, she meditates and takes regular breaks in nature and at night, uses blackout shades and relaxing apps to improve her sleep. >> when people hear i have to prioritize my sleep, i have to exercise a lot, i don't want to do all that. it's too much. >> we're not going to be perfect 100% of the time, but those small changes over time hopefully add up

>> reporter: over the next three years, the center will track patients to see how these interventions impact their brain health the cleveland clinic plans to spread these centers nationwide, so early intervention becomes a critical tool for women to try and stop alzheimer's in its tracks >> we are just on the brink of figuring this disease out. for the first time in a long time, i have hope. >> the prevention center designs intervention programs that are custom tailored to each woman based on their blood work and cognitive tests. the programs include daily vitamin supplements that target known risk factors in alzheimer's like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and inflammation right now the prevention center has a long waiting list, andthr philanthropy, so raising money is critical to keep it going, but we're going to keep it going and hope to grow it. back to you guys. >> incredible. >> maria shriver on the front

lines as always. thank you so much. she's going to have a lot more coming up in the fourth hour look forward to visiting with maria, and we miss her. >> yes, we do. we are back in a moment. wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. over the next 10 years, comcast is committing $1 billion to reach 50 million low-income americans with the tools and resources they need to be ready for anything. i hope you're ready. 'cause we are.

you know who it is. >> tina fey. >> and diy projects you can tackle the house during the summer season, but first, your local news good morning. it's 8:56. as california fully reopens a new glimmer of hope for struggling businesses. new data suggests more are starting to turn the corner. foot traffic at retail businesses and restaurants in the state have doubled since the start of the year. this according to analysts at

zen reach. san jose has seen a 141% increase at its restaurants. sf has seen a 98% increase. we are covering the reopening from all angles. some businesses are having trouble getting back on track but not for the reasons you think. we'll have a live report at midday and get you caught up on the new mask rules and take you to one city holding its own reopening celebration complete with free barbecue. go to our home page for coverage. we'll have the local weather update for you in a half an hour.

covering funeral costs how those who have lost loved ones due to the pandemic can get help. >> we'll time out when the scorching temperatures arrive here in the bay area. join us tomorrow morning 4:30 to 7:00.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning, everybody, welcome to the third hour of "today" on tuesday, june 15th. i'm al. >> just excited sheinelle -- >> sheinelle's telling a story about how the kids went off the rails. >> that story started, what, five minutes ago? >> it's on peacock. [ laughter ] >> shoutout to all my working parents. shoutout to all my working