>> yeah. thank you so much for joining us this morning. we will be back at 7:25 with a live local news update. don't forget our midday newscast at 11:00, as we leave you with a live look at palo alto. the "today" show is next. good morning shot good morning. shot in the arm. the fda expected to approve vaccine booster shots as soon as today as the delta variant sweeps through the nation. the cdc urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated. and the battle over masks rages on with kids returning to school caught in the middle. >> i'm not willing to pay russian roulette with somebody's life like that. >> we're talk about all of it one-on-one with dr. anthony fauci. scorching. that intense heat wave expanding across much of the country. more records set to fall today with tens of millions also at

risk for severe weather and in the south all eyes on fred, expected to gain strength and batter florida and the gulf coast this weekend. al has everything you need to know. turning the page. the resignation of andrew cuomo, the new governor distancing herself from the scandal. >> no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic environment. >> ms. hochul will join us for an exclusive live interview. and going up. everything from groceries to clothes on the rides. rise. the impact on your wallet and new ways to save. those stories plus double "jeopardy." inside the iconic quiz show's unexpected decision to fill the role of alex trebek with not one but two hosts. and how fans are reacting. and if you build it, they will come. a dream come true for baseball

and hollywood. >> the one constant through all the years, ray, has been baseball. >> the first major league game at the legendary field of dreams just hours away, but first, harry smith is taking us on a tour of those magical corn fields. >> this is heaven, you know? for me it is. "today," august 12, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody. good morning. welcome to "today." it is a thursday morning. glad to have you along. doing the work-from-home thing this morning. craig is holding it down. hey. >> a busy thursday. >> we really do. as mentioned, coming up an exclusive conversation with new york's lieutenant governor kathy hochul now 12 days away from

taking over for andrew cuomo becoming the state's first female governor. we'll talk about that transition and how she says her administration will be different from her predecessor's. we start with covid's summer surge sweeping across the country, and this morning three major topics are making headlines. first, booster shots with the fda now poised to approve a third dose for the immunocompromised. then pregnant women with the cdc updating its guidance urging them to get vaccinated. and the delta variant runs rampant as kids head back to school. >> in just a moment dr. anthony fauci will weigh in on those topics and more with craig, but first nbc's morgan chesky is in dallas with our report. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. we are watching this delta-driven surge break records across the country. that includes here in texas where state officials have just announced more than 2,000

medical personnel will be sent to hospitals like this one simply overwhelmed with covid patients. now the push to get even more people vaccinated, more urgent than ever. this morning, as infections surge nationwide, new questions about the need for booster shots. today the fda's expected to authorize third doses for immunocompromised people who produce little to know antibodies after the first two shots. there is no plan yet for boosters for the general population. a new study by the mayo clinic still not peer reviewed found after six months, only 42% effective during the height of the delta variant. compared to moderna, 76 %. pfizer showed a minimal reduction in effectiveness. researches found both vaccines still offer robust protection against hospitalization and death. now debate heating up over new mandates with schools at center. protesters heckling mask attendees of the school board meeting. >> all: we will not comply!

we will not comply! >> reporter: california's requiring all school staff to be vaccinated or get weekly tests, becoming the first state to do so. >> it's the right thing to do, to keep our most precious resource healthy and safe, our children here in the state. >> reporter: cities and states re-issuing indoor mask mandates including philadelphia and oregon. in texas, governor greg abbott is now threatening to take any school district who breaks his no mask mandate to court. some superintendents defiant and still requiring masks. >> we've been really clear that the most important consequence we're looking at is how we keep people safe. >> reporter: this as the cdc updates its guidance for pregnant women, urging them to get vaccinated because they're at higher risk for severe disease and evidence shows the shots of safe. >> i didn't think i would almost lose my life to covid. >> reporter: kailee fox was reluctant to get the vaccine but at 39 weeks pregnant she became infected, ending up in the icu with blood clots and heart

failure, and now is speaking out in a new psa for expectant moms. >> get your vaccine. i don't want this to happen to anybody else. >> reporter: as for the booster shots, the cdc expected to discuss them as a special advisory panel slated for this friday but we are already hearing reports of people across the country finding out a way to get that third shot, even though it's something medical professionals don't recommend. >> morgan, thank you. so there is a lot to talk about as we welcome in dr. anthony fauci. dr. fauci, good morning to you, as always, sir. thanks for your time. >> good to be with you, craig, thank you. >> so there's this expectation that folks who are immunocompromised will have to get booster shots. pfizer has already said that folks who got their shot need to get a booster to help protect against the delta variant that's ravaging the nation. is it inevitable, dr. fauci, that at some point in the not too distant future everyone will

need a booster shot? >> the important thing to point out is the difference between the immunocompromised who really never got a good response to begin with. so for them it's more of getting them up to what they hopefully had gotten the first time around, but we know because of their immune compromise they don't. that's different than the durability of response, which means taking a person, be it and elderly healthy person or a not elderly, a young, healthy person, and just continue to very, very carefully follow them and if the level of their protection goes below a certain level, to then be ready and have a plan ready to go to get them their boost. in answer to your question, no vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection. so in answer to your question, it's right inevitably, there will be a time

when we'll have to give boosts what we're doing literally on a weekly and monthly basis is following cohorts of patients to determine if, when and whom should get it. but right now at this moment, other than the immune compromised, we won't be giving boosterings to people. but we'll follow them and if they do need it, we'll give it to them. >> talk about the guidance that changed on wednesday from the cdc. initially the guidance was pregnant women could get it, and now the cdc is saying that pregnant should get the vaccine. what prompted that change? >> well, the extraordinary amount of data now that's accumulated, craig, with pregnant women wh, it's very, very clear that it is safe in pregnant women, but importantly, the deleterious, harmful effect to pregnant women, if they get covid, not only to the woman herself but to the fetus so when you balance an enormous amount of experience that gives you a positive approach that there really is a real high degree of safety, against what

we absolutely know, that when pregnant women who are not vaccinated get covid, they get into serious difficulty. so there's no question that that recommendation had to switch from could to should. >> you got this patchwork of rules around the country with regards to schools testing's down hospitalizations are up. cases are up should we be reopening all of our schools for in-person learning, dr. fauci? >> you know, craig, it's really a delicate balance, because we've known from the experience that we've had over the last now year and a half that keeping children physically out of class and having them have virtual and staying at home has really considerable deleterious effects on them from the standpoint of mental health, social development, a variety of other things so we know that that's an issue. then when you look at the

situation if you want to keep them in school you really have to do everything you can to keep them safe. and what that really means in my mind and the mind of public officials, is the first thing you do is surround them with people who are vaccinated. and that's the reasons why we want the teachers to get vaccinated, the personnel in the school to get vaccinated, and we want children who are eligible, because of their age, to get vaccinated. >> before we go, i want to go back to this efficacy question because there is this study out, not peer-reviewed, we should point out, but it shows that the pfizer vaccine is less than 50% effective after six months >> yeah. >> what do you make of that? >> yeah. i think what we need to do, craig, is to get a lot of data, which is literally in realtime even as we speak now we're doing that there's data from pfizer there's data from moderna. there's pfizer data from israel. there's pfizer data from the united states. what the cdc is looking at, they

have cohorts of patients, elderly, nursing home, younger individuals, et cetera, looking at all of that data, and if the data show, in fact, that the degree of protection has gone down below a critical level, that's when you're going to be hearing about the implementation of boosters. but right now at this moment, they are examining the data. they do not feel that we absolutely have to give it, except for the immune compromised, who you know imminently they're going to get the approval. >> dr. anthony fauci we'll have to leave it there dr. fauci, thanks, as always, sir. appreciate your time. >> good to be with you, craig. thank you for having me. now to a growing economic concern from coast to coast, one most people are living with and probably noticing every day in the grocery store, the local gas station. inflation has taken a big jump this summer as the economy tries to rebound from the pandemic in maryland with a cold, hard reality check on prices. hi, tom. >> reporter: hi, savannah.

good morning yeah, big price jumps in july after big jumps in june. the consumer price index up nearly 5.5% in july. if you ate, if you drove, if you traveled, chances are you paid for it you know, the federal reserve is always looking for that goldilocks economy, not too hot, not too cold right now it's getting a little hot. if you're buying groceries, filling the gas tank, car shopping chances are you're digging deeper this summer prices rose a dramatic 5.4% in july compared to a year ago when covid shut down the economy. >> prices are going upe exploding pent-up demand fuelled by vaccinate everywhere, on everything. >> reporter: economist blame exploding pent-up demand fueled by vaccinated americans who are shopping, traveling and eating out again. a gallon of milk, $3.02 compared to $2.15 a year ago. a dozen eggs, about 24 cents higher chicken breasts, about 30 cents more. >> walking out and less and less groceries and paying more and

more. >> since budgeting, saving extra, taking the bus more taking public transit. >> reporter: some airfares and hotels also more expensive but it's at the gas pump that americans are really feeling the pinch. $3.18 a gallon a day compared to $2.17 a year ago when very few people were driving. and new car prices jumped another 1.5% in july after a 5.7% spike in june with a shortage of required computer chips. economists say a backed up global supply chain is affecting many consumer goods. >> right now our experts believe the major independent forecasters agree as well that these bottlenecks and price spikes will reduce as our economy continues to heal. >> reporter: wages are also record 10.1 million job openings nationwide restaurants, bars, and hotels

especially short staffed the bad news, if prices continue to climb, the federal reserve could feel pressured to cool the economy by raising interest rates. >> people are experiencing inflation firsthand, because they know that their paycheck isn't going as far as it did a couple months ago even so inflation is not necessarily a good or bad thing. it's a sign. it's a sign we're in a period of economic recovery. >> reporter: a sign that, in fact, the economy is improving the economic recovery has been stunning in the second quarter, consumer spending jumped 12%. it's really caught a lot of businesses by surprise especially airlines struggling to meet that demand. savannah, back to you. >> tom, thank you. we're actually going to have more in the next hour. stephanie ruhle joins us with ways to navigate the rise in prices craig? besides covid, inflation, another big concern this morning, dangerous weather and sheinelle is here with more on that. >> it is

good morning to you. nearly the entire country is now dealing with scorching heat that's refusing to let up. in the east, it's helping fuel a threat of severe storms while in the caribbean, fred is expected to strengthen again as it heads towards the u.s. al is standing by with the forecast, but first, nbc's kristen dahlgren is at the beach on coney island here in new york with more on the problems caused by the heat. kristen. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. yeah, another soupy one. about half of americans under some type of heat advisory or warning and places like seattle could see records broken today this morning, blistering temperatures have millions sweating it out across the country. >> can't wait to get home and get into my ac. >> reporter: out west, dangerously hot conditions, excessive heat warnings, for washington state, northern california, and oregon in portland, soaring to triple digits officials urging people who don't have air conditioning to

get to cooling centers a string of heat advisories also spanning across the central and eastern u.s. >> it's real hot, thinking about today. >> reporter: in houston, st. louis, washington, d.c. and new york, triple-digit temperatures are expected. >> it's almost like walking through water. like it's just so humid you hit a wall. >> reporter: in nebraska drake geiger died after collapsing from heat stroke during high school football practice. >> so they did their first ten-minute drill, and he went up and got a drink. came back. sat down and fell over >> reporter: while in boston, heat emergency remains in effect through friday. >> it's going to be a few days on end and the humidity is so high, so it's important not to take chances. >> reporter: on top of the record heat, millions across the midwest and great lakes also facing a threat of severe storms as communities there continue to clean up from this week's storms that included a number of

destructive tornadoes. and this morning, new yorkers are told to limit electricity usage to avoid widespread power outages with so much stress on the system, sheinelle. >> all in this together. thanks, kristen. >> hot yesterday, it's going to the hot today. how hot are we talking how long will it last? >> air temperature still in the 90s but as we talk about the heat combinations, that's going to be the -- somehow -- lost my mic. here, just -- >> i'm come do it with you. >> here, just come do it with me ♪ together, together ♪ >> he we are there okay. trust you -- here you go ah yes! oh >> live tv. >> right now 106 million people. heat index up to 110 hottest days right through friday as we watch this system push its way in. now, we are looking at possible records for hagerstown, d.c., syracuse, manchester, bridgeport, burlington craig willing to give me the shirt off his back you're fantastic but as we look over the

late-week period we can see temperatures staying in the 90s into the weekend, but the heat indexes, we're talking about triple digits around the region. now, we're also looking at severe weather pushing in from chicago all the way to detroit we have a risk of severe weather today.y l the way to burlington, albany, new york, 13 million people at risk and then for tomorrow, from joplin, missouri, into the northeast damaging winds, hail, isolated tornadoes can't be ruled out and the latest on fred it is a tropical depression now coming over the mountains of the dominican republic miami, jacksonville. 602 miles southeast of key west, 35 mile-per-hour winds, comes right across key west sometime early saturday morning out into the gulf the cone of uncertainty includes miami, jacksonville. rainfall, we do know this much we're talking three to five inches but locally could be upwards of eight with flash flooding and rapid river rises a real possibility we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are seeing showers near the coast but a lot more of the rain staying over the water, and this is all due to a surge of monsoon moisture. you will feel the humidity even if you don't see the showers today. our temperatures come down a few degrees but with the humidity it will feel just as hot, reaching 92 in antioch. our forecast continues to stay hot in the valleys.

oh, stop >> savannah -- >> stop it >> i think you should use that mic every day. looked like you're about to do a concert. like a lounge singer. >> al, i love it best thing that happened all morning. coming up, all eyes on incoming new york governor kathy hochul as she prepares to become the first woman to lead the state and vows to turn the page on the scandal that brought down [ sfx: ping ping beep beep bloop bloop ] lisa looks like you've... [ sfx: pop pop pop pop ] lisa, you might be on mute.

[ sfx: pop ping bloop ] [ phone buzzing ] the day can wait... enter the golden state with real california dairy.

the surprise decision giving new meaning to double "j governor cuomo pap live interview just ahead, but first, this is "today" on nbc. the surprise decision giving new meaning to double "jeopardy. the quiz show going with two hosts to fill alex trebek's role. >> the reaction to that announcement after your local news and weather. ing a bow on it! wow.

even sneaking away for a vacay rashida. rashida: shhh! i've earned this? from home improvement, drugstores, select travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. still fresh unstopables in-wash scent booster downy unstopables lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can enjoy it even if you're sensitive to dairy. so anyone who says lactaid isn't real milk is also saying mabel here isn't a real cow. and she really hates that.

the magic is calling you to the walt disney world fiftieth anniversary celebration. beginning october first. that's a chromebook with the everything button. one button that finds your files, or apps, world fiftieth anniversary celebration. and even answers online. instantly. who says you can't have everything? with the everything button. switch to finding things instantly switch to chromebook ♪ ♪ with lower prices and great deals,

make target your first stop back to school. [engine revving] [car horn and collisions] [tires squealing] just think, he'll be driving for real soon. every new chevy equinox comes standard with chevy safety assist including automatic emergency braking. (asaad) since my mother got cancer from smoking, i've learned a lot of things. like how to help her out of bed, how to keep track of her medication, and how to keep her spirits up. [announcer] you can quit. call 1-800-quit now for help getting free medication. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ good morning to you. it's 7:26. i am marcus washington. here's today's top stories, including a covid booster shot getting closer to reality to at least some people. >> good morning. i am cierra johnson in san francisco. the nbc has learned the fda is looking at approving a booster for folks with immune compromised. as more students return to

school for in-person instruction, there's new indication that a majority of parents do support mask mandates for kids on campus according to a new survey, 63% of parents support mask mandates for unvaccinated students and staff. however, 54% do not support mandatory vaccinations for students, even if the fda were to grant full approval. now it's time to get a look at the forecast for you today. kari hall is tracking the numbers. >> we have excitement this morning with spotty showers moving along the coast and into parts of the north bay, and we are looking at a wide range of temperatures. upper 60s in san francisco, and highs reaching 74 in oakland. 88 in napa. 92 in antioch, and reaching up to 94 degrees in morgan hill. our 7-day forecast shows the temperatures will be very warm. you combine that with the humidity and it's going to feel uncomfortable and the heat

continues into the weekend as well as early next week. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. i'll see you back here then. homelessness, housing, taxes, water, electricity, crime, wildfires. [sfx: bear roar] gavin, you've failed. we have to immediately cut taxes twenty-five percent. fix housing and homelessness. and make life in california affordable again. i'm a businessman, the only cpa running.

shouldn't we choose ability this time? we must have a competent governor with management experience and outsider integrity. [sfx: bear roar] that describes only john cox. it's a new day. and it's coming at you fast. it could be the day your workforce doubles... or the day your visitors quadruple. with comcast business you'll be ready... with the flexibility to control multiple wifi networks from anywhere... all on the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. get started with a powerful internet and voice solution for just $64.99 a month. or, ask how to get a prepaid card with other internet offers. call today. [baby crying] i got it. i got it.

♪ ♪ getting some help with the little one, from her biggest fan. some real face time. just an amtrak away. ♪ >> i'd like that. >> wow. >> man hey, dad -- do you want tuch to have a catch? >> i'd like that. >> wow. >> man >> how are we supposed to go on now?e ter 30 years of closing moments "field of dreams. i'm sorry. still gets me.

how about you guys >> one of the two or three best sports movies ever here's the thing, s.g. tonight history will be made at the sight of that beloved movie with major league baseball's first "field of dreams" game it's happening. >> awesome. >> to get you ready, who else would we send? harry smith. harry went with an inside look why a little ballpark in iowa is so special to so many people and really special for so long sharing that story in a couple minutes. >> looking forward to that a check of headlines on this thursday morning the nation's west is burning scorching heat and historic drought conditions have sparked about 100 blazes across more than a dozen states in california's largest wildfire than 1,000 buildings including ever is still growing. the dixie fire burning bone-dry trees and brush, destroying more than 1,000 buildings including 550 homes, and in montana, thousands are under evacuation orders the fire there advances across

several remote communities. new census data is expected to show that our country is more diverse than ever. the census bureau is releasing the numbers later today but estimates suggest nearly one-third of all americans live in a county that is now less than 50% white in dozens of counties across 18 states, no single racial or ethnic group makes up a majority most of those diverse counties are on the nation's south or southwest. now to a scary surprise one mom found looking back at video she took of her son surfing this week look what casey allen shot from a south carolina beach, just as 15-year-old ethan catches a wave look at this a small shark leaps directly behind him. >> ooh. >> it appears the surfboard crossed over the shark a split second before jumping from the water, but ethan, concentrating on staying upright never even sees it.

mom reassured but it's a spinner shark, not considered a threat to humans. >> feeling better. >> so focused, he didn't even notice, guys. >> looked like he jumped the shark. right? meanwhile, talk -- couldn't help it. roker wasn't here to do it. let's talk politics. new york's governor andrew cuomo preparing to step down in 12 days and his successor lieutenant governor kathy hochul is addressing voters using her first speech to distance herself from cuomo's scandals and vowing to change the culture in the executive chamber. we'll talk to her live in an exclusive conversation first, nbc's anne thompson with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. kathy hochul is projecting an image of preparedness and confidence saying the 14-day waiting period was something she didn't ask for but deemed nesby governor cuomo's team. she's making it very clear this morning when she becomes governor, there will be a much different culture in the executive chamber.

kathy hochul it the new face of political leadership in new york state, vowing to clean house in the scandal-plagued governor's office >> no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment. >> reporter: hochul started her career in local government going on to win an upset u.s. house special election in 2011 the 62-year-old lieutenant governor now taking center stage as she prepares to succeed andrew cuomo in two weeks, and has repeatedly distanced herself from the incumbent cuomo, the three-term democrat leaving in disgrace. the attorney general's investigation finding 11 women credible in their claims the governor sexually harassed them. >> in my mind, i've never crossed the line with anyone, but i didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. >> reporter: though facing

potential criminal and civil actions, cuomo admits no wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime have you made any deal with governor cuomo to pardon him should he be charged criminally? >> absolutely not, not come up in any conversation. >> reporter: despite stepping down, cuomo could still be impeached, but hochul is focused on the future, leading a state still battles covid, an uncertain economy, and the return to school of new york's children a full plate for the buffalo native, soon to be the state's first female chief executive, stepping into a history-making role. in a political twist of fate you are succeeding a man accused in a sexual harassment scandal. you are woman. what does that signify to you? >> i take this enormously seriously. that history will judge me as the first woman governor of the state of new york, and i want that judgment to be crystal clear that i have no tolerance for any sexual harassment or unethical behavior in my administration. >> reporter: as for job one in

her administration, hochul says it is covid, and steering new york state's $1.7 trillion economy through this pandemic. savannah incoming governor >> all right, anne, thank you. and lieutenant governor kathy hochul is with us now. her first live interview as the incoming governor of new york. madam lieutenant governor, good morning. good to have you with us. >> good morning. thanks for having me on today. >> you'll be coming in tooffice under extraordinary circumstances. you've got a full plate, but one of the issues is going to greet you right at the door, which is this toxic culture you have vowed to change it. what are you going to do how far are you willing to go to clean house and ferret out bad actors inside the administration >> well, the very first steps will be ensuring that anyone who's named in the report released by the attorney general being involved in any kind of unethical behavior will no longer be a part of this administration they're gone on day one. so let's get that very clear secondly, i do believe that we're going to follow the law.

the law prohibits the kind of behavior that was conducted here and i want to make sure there's a message that, i'm tough. i'm not going to put up with anything that crosses the line or even comes close to the line, because this should be an environment where all people -- women, members of the lgbtq community -- anyone is free of harassment to come to work, work for the people of new york, stay focused and get the job done there will be no more distractions. >> you know, the report has surfaced not only these instances of sexual harassment but also a larger cultural problem of bullying or intimidation i mean, you've been a part of this administration six years. did you ever see any of that did you ever have occasion to talk to the governor about it or confront him about it? >> that was very much an insular situation, what was going on in his office if anyone knows my career they know i've not been close to the governor it's no secret in my schedule, it reflects i spent very little time in albany except when presiding over the senate

i travel i have been the chief advocate, the chief spokesman for this administration, championing causes all over the state. i have not been in the room when this has happened and it's actually sickening to me to see this surface and my heart goes out to the young women in particular who have been toiling in this environment, and they need to know they are welcome in my administration, i will respect them and i have worked as administrator and executive in many situations and had many staffs, and every one of these individuals that worked for me, i treat them tall at family, they would attest that there will be a very different environment here, just because of who i am. that's how i am. >> do you believe that the state assembly, the lawmakers, should proceed with impeachment proceedings against governor cuomo? >> i am well familiar with the responsibilities and the different levels of government, the different separation of powers, and i don't believe it's my position to weigh in on that situation. but i have full confidence in

the assembly judiciary committee as well as the full assembly to do what is right >> can i push you on that a little bit, though because, you know, you are coming in as governor, a position of leadership, and there's a divide here. some say, look let it go. it's a distraction, takes resources and time others say he should be held accountable and not be able to run for state office again where do you come down on that key issue of whether impeachment proceedings should go forward? >> you mentioned the distraction. i want the people of new york state to know that i will not be distracted from job one, which is to fight covid and bring back our economy. so that will be going on in a parallel universe i'll be observing, but i don't have a voice in this and i want that process to play out independently of the responsibilities that i will have, which are quite weighty, on day one. >> let's talk about covid because there are some really hot issues being debated right now. one of them is mask mandates, particularly in schools. just generally where do you come down

do you think there should be mask mandates in schools >> well, listen, this is an tss one governor at a time when i become governor this will be a key issue my view is that people will be -- children and everyone in the school environment will be wearing masks. that's an opinion right now. i don't have authority to make that the policy, and we're going to leave it up to the school districts right now but monitor it closely i was right there last year monitoring the western new york side of the covid response, so i'm well equipped to handle this and make decisions quickly it's one of my strengths, but also to let the school districts know that we want them to be very involved. there will be engagement with teachers, i spoke with teachers leaders, parents, health care communities. i'm bringing a different approach to this not top-down. it will be much more collaborative, and i will listen to everyone before making decisions. >> fair enough

12 more days, but schools are looking for guidance now and i'm not sure i actually understood where you come down on whether or not you think there should be mask mandates. in other words, your health department could issue guidance to schools, a lot of local officials would like to see that guidance what's your position on it >> i believe that they'll end up being mask mandates. i just don't have the authority to effect -- meeting with health commissioner in a couple hours to go over this and drawing on all current data available, cdc recommendations, but also we need to talk to the school districts as well. that hasn't happened in the past the way i think it should find out what their anxiety is why there's any objection to this, and i believe that this is going to have to be the way we go to make it a safe environment for everyone to feel, to get back to school that is my number one priority children have to be back in school we cannot have this continuation of this hybrid or work from home situation anymore if we can avoid it again, these are decisions i'm

talking about today are my opinion today. may have no bearing if this variant spirals out of control i'm watching those numbers like a hawk, and we'll have metrics that determine when we take a different course we'll be flexible. there will not be a decision made now that may even hold in a couple of weeks, because i don't know what the variant is going to do or any new variants, but that is the job of the governor to have that data and make the right decisions for new yorkers. >> before i let you go, you are finishing out governor cuomo's term will you run for full term in your own right next year >> yes, i will i fully expect to be prepared for this i've led a life working in every level of government, congress to local government, i'm going to ask voters at some point for their faith in me. right now i need their faith, their prayers and support to th make sure we get this right. i'm confident i will fight every day and how i'm hard wired and i

won't let new yorkers down. >> best of luck to you and important work becoming new york's governor. kathy hochul, thank you for your time this morning. really appreciate it. >> thank you >> all right. rom lots of news there when we come back, on a thursday morning, a surprise announcement from "jeopardy!" to have not one but two hosts succeed alex trebek it's dividing fans. >> what it means to the iconic quiz show. right after this. made to live loudly. made to take first steps. it means every cut, stitch, and seam is made to push things forward for the last 170 years and the next. fruit of the loom. made true. with less moderate-to-severe eczema why hide your skin if you can help heal your skin from within. with dupixent adults saw long-lasting, clearer skin

and significantly less itch. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. talk to your doctor about dupixent. jake from state farm, i'd like to formally extend my gratitude for the russell rate on my insurance. do you mean surprisingly great rates from state farm? i don't believe in accepting help. but i'll make an exception. here's the deal russell, there's no special rate. these prices are for everyone. with the oak and the eagle as witness, consider us square. i made that from memory, i know your face that well. when you want the real deal... like a good neighbor, state farm is there.

(driving upbeat music) hey, google. when you want the real deal... turn it up. [announcer] google pixel 4a with 5g and pixel buds. from $499 and $99. i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders

and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. this m this morning on "in-depth today," a new era for a most popular quiz show. >> not one but two hosts succeed the late alex trebek as the new faces of "jeopardy!" >> our nbc anchor here with more on this today. mixed reaction from fans of the show. >> absolutely. you could really say "double jeopardy" millions watched the job search play out on tv and

rooted for favorites along the in all 16 different guest hosts to fill in, surprising the decision sony went with two hosts, one of whom was already in-house. this morning we have an answer to one of the most pressing questions in years who are mike richards and mya? set to share the coveted spot behind the famous lectern. richard, the current executive producer named the new daily host of the famed quiz show. >> "jeopardy!" is an incredibly important american institution it's about making people that are smart the most important people in the room. >> reporter: and in an even bigger surprise twist actress, mayan bialik will be the face of the new "jeopardy!" primetime and spin-off series. >> ready, set, wrestle >> reporter: best known for her role on the hit tv show "the big bang theory" and childhood star of "blossom" back in the '90s, mayim bialik became a fan favorite as a guest host she said her teenage son first told her to go for the gig.

>> he heard a thing online saying mayim bialik should be host of "jeopardy," and he was richards took an inside track to the job. like, mom, you should do this. >> reporter: some "jeopardy!" fans were disappointed wondering if richards took an inside track to the job richards said the final decision belonged to sony pictures television, not him, and he was open about his role in the search process he told the "wall street journal" in april after filling in as a guest host the search would be slow and deliberate with months of rotating guest hosts. >> we want to go at this with real analytics and real testing, and not just go, hey, how about this guy which is kind of how a lot of these decisions have been made historically. >> reporter: many fans are critical of the decision, aiow" "the price is right," lawsuits brought against the show by former models. one model alleged discrimination after becoming pregnant. richards denied wrongdoing at

the time and the cases eventually settled in a memo positive "jeopardy" staff this week richard says the allegations do not "reflect the reality of who i am. now he's the answer to this final "jeopardy!" question -- who will host "jeopardy!"? along with hosting richards remains executive producer of "jeopardy. also the ep of "wheel of fortune. a fun fact mayim bialik has a doctorate degree in neuroscience from ucla she will host the "jeopardy" college tournament that airs in prime time next year, plus any other spin-offs. that will be good. >> good to have a host who could also win "jeopardy!" >> that's what you want. right? >> absolutely. thank you. turn now to al for the latest on the forecast. >> one out of two right. anyway -- >> oh! >> i mean, mayim bialik is just it that's just me record highs out in the pacific northwest. flood threat in the southwest, more heavy rain.

excessive humidity through the good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist, kari hall. take a look at our 7-day forecast for some of our hottest spots inland and it includes concord as well as morgan hill reaching 94 today. the humidity will be high. for the weekend the temperatures go back into the upper 90s but not a lot of changes for san francisco. we're going to continue to see the highs in the upper 60s as the fog lingers over san francisco or near the coast keeping it cool and our natural air-conditioner in place. > of c host already has a regular job, so -- there's that. >> yes al ro, thank you, sweetheart. >> still ahead, the impact of higher prices we talked about on just about everything. what should you stock up now first these messages.

i was still feeling depressed. is there anything more i can do? yes, adding rexulti may help. when taken with an antidepressant, rexulti was proven to reduce depression symptoms an extra 62% compared to the antidepressant alone. so you can stay on your current treatment and help build on your progress. rexulti can cause serious side effects. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts and worsen depression in those under 25. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, which could be life-threatening, or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be permanent. increased cholesterol; weight gain; high blood sugar; decreased white blood cells; unusual urges; dizziness on standing; seizures; trouble swallowing may occur. when depression sets you back, keep moving forward. talk to your doctor about adding rexulti to your antidepressant.

talk to your doctor about adding rexulti good morning more treatment? we're going to try something different today. hi! awwww, so pretty. dogs bring out the good in us. pedigree® brings out the good in them. as someone who resembles someone else... i appreciate that liberty mutual knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen, painful. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms

in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options. sheinelle what you got on "pop sheinelle what you got on "pop start?" >> big news from dolly parton. something new the music icon is trying that might surprise you, after your local news. (vo) the subaru forester.

dog tested. dog approved. feel the cool rush of claritin cool mint chewables. powerful 24-hour, non-drowsy, allergy relief plus an immediate cooling sensation for your throat. feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. (vo) the pursuit of prey. it's a shared instinct for a lynx and your cat. and so is their desire for meat. that's why there's blue wilderness, created... to satisfy a cat's craving for meat. feed your cat's wild spirit with blue wilderness. (amanda) my name is amanda and i smoked while i was pregnant. this is the view i had of my baby in the nicu. my tip is, speak into the opening so

your baby can hear you better. (announcer) you can quit. call 1-800-quit-now for help getting free medication. (man) i've made prog so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements in adults... ...while i continue with most of my mental health medications. (vo) austedo can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have suicidal thoughts. common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness. don't take austedo if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. austedo may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, restlessness, movements mimicking parkinson's disease, fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, and sweating. (man) talk to your doctor about austedo... it's time to treat td.

td is not ok. visit askforaustedo.com good morning. it's 7:56. i'm marcus washington. here's what is happening now. >> i'm bob redell here in walnut creek as more students return to school for in-person instruction, there's new indications that a majority of parents do support mask mandates for kids on campus according to a new survey just released by the kaiser family foundation. 63% of parents support mask mandates for unvaccinated students and staff, however 54% do not support mandatory vaccinations for students, even if the fda were to grant full approval. good morning. i am cierra johnson in san francisco, and nba learned the fda is expected to approve a booster shot for pfizer and

moderna and it's for those considered immuno compromised. that is for folks that received a organ, heart, bone marrow transplant or on heavy duty chemotherapy regimens. for the most part it's going to be dry, and turning hazy today as we watch the storms pass by. we're going to seat temperatures reaching into the low to mid-90s for the inland areas, mostly 70s and low 80s for the inner bay to the south bay. our hottest temperatures inland will continue to go up for the weekend saturday, reaching 98 degrees and that's slightly cooler for the middle to next week. and highs in the upper 60s into next wednesday. we will have another local

news update coming up for you in 30 minutes. we'll see you back here then.

♪ ♪ it's it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, fighting back the fda set to approve a third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people as covid cases surge from coast to coast. we'll have the latest on that, and the new push from the cdc for pregnant women to get the shot. >> when pregnant women who are not vaccinated get covid, they get into difficulties. >> we're live with that. feeling the heat millions waking up to another round of brutal temperatures. >> it's almost like walking through water. like it's just so humid, you hit a wall.

>> so when can we expect relief? al's got your full forecast. plus, fighting the good fight. we'll catch up with kristen bell and dax shepard about their competitive new game show. >> oh! ♪ >> and why they say working together has only made their relationship stronger. >> some people go away to nice hotels we go for hours, and come out. picked the right one. it's not heaven. it's iowa. we will take you to the field of dreams ahead of tonight's first-ever major league game at the iconic baseball diamond. ♪ >> exactly what, you know, the movie is all about playing catch with your dad. >> a dream fulfilled >> yeah. >> proving that if you build it, they will come "today" thursday august 12, 2021. ♪ real happy ♪ >> all: good morning

from florida -- whew >> we're the sullivans. >> and celebrating my birthday with you -- >> all: "today"! happy birthday, america! >> good morning "today" show we're from kingsport, tennessee. >> celebrating our daughter evelyn's first birthday. happy birthday, evelyn >> we're the williams family from montgomery, alabama shout-out to "today" show in new york >> hey ah, i love it. good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." glad to have you with us, along on a thursday morning. hoda's off craig and sheinelle are holding down the fort in studio 1a craig, you have a story for us. >> a championship high school football coach on a mission that extends well beyond that field keeping his players safe from

gun violence in a neighborhood where the life expectancy is ten years less than the national average. it drives bryce brown, the coach, coach brown had an important conversation with him that i can't wait to share with you tomorrow on "today." >> looks like a good one and get to the news. hospitals are filling up with covid patients in parts of the country where the delta variant is raging. health officials are urging pregnant women and people with weak immune systems to protect themselves morgan chesky is in dallas with the latest on all of it. good morning >> reporter: watching a delta-driven surge break records across the country including here in texas. officials just announced more than 2,000 medical personnel will be sent to hospital it's like this one overwhelmed with covid patients we anticipate today the fda to authorize a third vaccine dose for those who are immunocompromised. cancer patients, those living

with an organ transplant or people with hiv. studies have shown after the two shots, their bodies are producing little to no antibodies the latest fight over covid measures is playing out across the country at schools where superintendents making a decision to defy governors' orders issuing think own mask mandate before millions of kids go back to the classroom. >> the first thing you do is that you surround them with people who are vaccinated. and that's the reasons why we want the teachers to get vaccinated we want the personnel in the school to get vaccinated and we want children who are eligible, because of their age to get vaccinated. >> reporter: and the cdc is also updating its guidance for pregnant women urging them to get vaccinated showing they're at higher risk for disease and evidence shows shots of safe savannah >> morgan chesky in dallas, thank you.

and more people sweating it out as a dangerous heat wave is going on across the country. al has an update on how hot it will be and when we might see some relief. >> not getting much until we get into the weekend even then maybe a little bit of a wave coast to coast literally from the northeast into the northwest talking about really warm, really warm temperatures heat indexes over 100 degrees. 106 folks impacted especially in the northeast looking at records from burlington, manchester, and over the next three days going into the weekend, temperatures into the 90s. factor in the humidity and it feels like with the heat indexes of over 100 degrees from charleston, jacksonville, nashville, little rock also got severe weather firing up today stretching from central illinois all the way into the northeast. we have a risk today of severe weather. 13 million people, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes possible from all the way into the midwest into the northeast,

and we're tracking tropical depression fred. 542 miles southeast of key west, florida. it's moving north-northwest at 16 miles per hour. comes into the gulf sometime early saturday morning, but a wide cone of uncertainty panama city, jacksonville, all the way down to key west we're going to be watching this thing. it's going to bring a lot of heavy rain not a big windmaker but heavy rain three to five inches generally for parts of florida, but could be as much as eight inches, and that all depends whether it intensifies as it makes its way into the gulf. craig? >> all right, thank you, al. all right. that's the news. savannah, you have "the boost" >> yes, a super cute one parents expecting a newborn sometimes worry how the older sibling will react doesn't seem to be the problem with this 5-year-old and his baby sister. >> hey, hon. >> what? >> haarlow's awake. >> haarlow >> ah!

oh. >> whoa! >> ah -- yea >> ah. >> my goodness that's sweet how cute is that she's loving it. mom says he cannot wait to hug his sissy whenever she wakes up from a nap that is so cute. each night at bedtime, helping her fall asleep. i think about that and my kids and how much they fight, i don't know what to say. >> there you go. >> sometimes -- >> they're grounded. >> sometimes babies have to be gentle you know going for the face that's what we want. a good one. >> opposite in my house too. nice to see that >> where did we go wrong, craig? where did we go wrong? up next a thrill for fans of baseball and hollywood. >> a thrill indeed harry smith taking us on a tour of the legendary "field of dreams" in iowa, and doing it ahead of tonight's very first major league game ever held there.

but first, these messages. eze fabric refresher. febreze's water-based formula deeply penetrates fabrics to eliminate trapped food odors as it dries. spray febreze fabric refresher when you clean up after meals to ensure your entire home smells fresh and clean. try febreze fabric refresher. brand power. helping you buy better. [engine revving] [car horn and collisions] [tires squealing] just think, he'll be driving for real soon. every new chevy equinox comes standard with chevy safety assist including automatic emergency braking.

[ "colors" by black pumas ] come in for korean tacos. [ indistinct chatter ] leave with the best of both worlds. what we value most, shouldn't cost more. cue rachael ray. hey friends! today we're whipping up some delicious recipes. so? who's hungry? pets love rachael ray" nutrish® and its kitchen-inspired recipes. with real meat, poultry or fish. rachael ray" nutrish®. real recipes. real ingredients. real good.® (relaxing music) [voice] and exhale. hey google, play from beginning. [voice] welcome. [narrator] google pixel 4a with 5g and pixel buds from $499 and $99. (judge) it's delightful.

(contestant 1) seriously? but it's a total train-wreck. (judge) it's obvious that you've put a lot of work into it. (buzz) she's probably happy because she found out honey nut cheerios can help lower cholesterol. (judge) does anyone want to go on a bike ride?

i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! [sighs wearily] here, i'll take that! woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and now with two new flavors! (tonya) smoking damaged my heart. now i have a battery-operated oneheart pump.gar, my tip is, stop thinking this can only happen when you get old. my heart failure happened at 38. [announcer] you can quit. call 1-800-quit now for help getting free medication. [growling] [sfx: toaster ding]

meet the 4-year-old who refused to wear pants this morning. why, andi? i'm a dinosaur. won't wear pants, will eat eggo waffles. get your wins where you can when you l'eggo with eggo. with so many nourishing shades, gea color change is easy.an nutrisse has 77. from our darkest blacks, to our lightest blondes it nourishes while it colors. plus avocado, olive and shea. change a little, or a lot. nutrisse. nourished hair. better color. by garnier, naturally! mmm. he's been here since december. you left him that mug of dunkin' with his cookies that night. i'm gonna say something. you should. i'll do it. it's refill time! santa's not leaving. the home with dunkin' is where you want to be. you love rich, delicious ice cream. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream. challenging times are nothing new.

neither are resilient people. there's strength in every family story. learn more about yours. at ancestry. chromebooks are seriously easy to set up right out of the box. there's strength ijust sign in withory. your gmail and bam! all your files are right there. now get after it. cause you're good to go. switch to setting up the easy way. switch to chromebook introducing the new citi custom cash℠ card,

a different kind of card that rewards dan where his spending is trending. just ask stepping outside his comfort zone dan... dan: okay, i don't know where the hole for this is. or fourth time streaming that period drama dan... dan: you just made me miss her best line, dan: so now i'm going to have to start it again. even insisted he didn't need directions dan. dan: okay, i'm not lost. i'm exploring. dan: that said, do you know where i am? from select gas, streaming, travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination.

>> historic day and we're back with a new edition of "mr. smith goes to..." >> historic day for movie and baseball fans tonight marking the first-ever major league game in the state of iowa and, harry, held in a very special place and you got to go there. >> uh-huh. you remember the movie, "field of dreams," right? >> sure. >> if you build it, they will come, all that imagine it's theoretically a movie about baseball but it's about so much more trying to find the answers to life's important questions in a corn field >> reporter: in iowa there's a baseball field beside a field of corn that may look familiar. for more than 30 years people have come from all over to take a couple swings, to stroll the outfield or like the fischers from lancaster, pennsylvania,

just have a catch. >> exactly what, you know, the movie is all about playing catch with your dad. so -- >> a dream fulfilled >> that's whey i'm here. >> yeah. >> reporter: yes, it is the very same ball field used in the movie "field of dreams." not far from the town of dyersville, where main street still looks like you remember it a young man who cuts lawns in the neighborhood doesn't mind if a stranger takes his classic tractor for a spin the movie's had a big effect on the town there's even a perfect little museum. >> one of my favorites is the -- >> reporter: the curator showing us a baseball from the 1919 world series where players from the chicago white sox were accused of losing on purpose then banned for life, including the best player of his time, "shoeless" joe jackson. >> the original movie title, "shoeless joe. this is the crew jacket from the movie.

>> okay. >> reporter: in the movie and the book a voice says, "if you build it, he will come" and by golly, "shoeless" joe does what is it it's like a magnet that draws >> it is i think it's just the enduring story of goodness, of connections, of family, of people being able to have that second chance. >> my father. >> reporter: the film more about redemption and connection than about baseball >> i'm ray. >> reporter: don lancing's family ownsed farm where the movie was made, and as for planting corn again on that field when the movie was done -- no way. >> it was just so beautiful that it was -- i couldn't possibly do it i mean, even when some of the crew members left, they told me, there's magic out here. >> you have tow keep this field. >> reporter: wife becky is convinced of it. >> it's a mecca. it's very, very quiet, and you will see that.

people don't come out here and scream and holler. >> they leave the place, thank me for it and encourage me to keep on keeping it so they can bring their children back, and now they're bringing their grandkids back. >> reporter: life imitating art. listen to this, straight from the pages of the novel they'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it and arrive at your door innocent at children of course, we don't mind >> go around, only $20 per person they'll pass over the money without even thinking about it it's money they have and peace they lack. >> reporter: local ballplayers who worked as stand-ins and extras for the team form the ghost team, they do this, but they also have an act. they perform for military families around the world. [ applause ] [ laughter ] >> reporter: the lancings sold the place some years back to denise stillman who had really

big dreams for the field, but soon diagnosed with terminal cancer her husband tom remembers. >> she couldn't speak anymore when she was really sick, and she was still emailing major league baseball. so she knew she wasn't going to see this, but she believed in it so much, and i think that commitment, and i think her spirit was out here because of it. >> reporter: the game is tonight. the white sox and yankees, a line drive away from the original field, a new field, built from scratch by ball field legend murray cook >> this morning when the dew sets on the field and the evening, or the fog comes in, that's special. >> i'll bet. >> those are the special moments. in the evening and early mornings when you come out here, no one's here. you hear nothing nothing going out here, but you see this field, the corn, feel the breeze this is heaven, you know for me, it is. it's field of dreams >> reporter: is this heaven? no

it's iowa. so iowans will be the one whose get to go to the game. there's a lottery to get, to distribute the 8,000 tickets that have been dealt by murray and his crew the place is gorgeous and the actual dimensions of the field, are the same as the old comiskey park in chicago where the white sox played >> oh. didn't know that hallowed ground, harry, for a long time. one of my favorite films of all-time. and i didn't know after this of the -- >> one of my favorite films and >> a connection. >> i didn't know >> a special connection with the team that's they're playing? >> interesting, because in the novel, right we do our homework here at the "today" show, the protagonist father loved the chicago white sox but also really disliked the new york yankees. wrote that to mlb, oh, really? >> and good for major league baseball, too, by the way. excellent opportunity. >> very cool thing interesting, because new york yankees have a lot of people on the disabled list, can't play

list and covid list. i'm wondering if they may need some of those guys to come out >> that's great. >> thank you, as always. mr. roker, try to top it. >> not me. we'll show you what's going on today. look for heavy rain making its way already through the southwest. maybe flooding we've got strong storms stretching from central illinois right into the northeast look at the heat today 90s and 100s about two-thirds of the country right now covered by those record-setting to near record-setting temperatures, plus excessive humidity, down through the gulf, mid-atlantic good thursday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's going to be another hot day for the inland areas reaching into the mid-90s in some of our warmest spots in the east bay, north bay and south county, but then also we're adding in humidity today, too, so feeling muggy.

temperatures stay hot to the weekend while san francisco see upper 60s today. a little foggy this morning, misting and drizzling as well as light rain moving through, too. we will see more of the same tomorrow as well as the weekend. >> that is your latest weather. now time for the best time of the morning! >> that is your latest weather now time for the best time of the morning! >> all right okay we have good stuff for you this morning. first up, the one and only dolly parton, the self-proclaimed book lady adding a new title to her book shelf this her very own. the country music icon announcing she has co-authored a novel with legendary writer james patterson titled "run, rose, run. set to tell the story of a singer/songwriter on the rise in nashville running from her past. parton telling fans on social media, i cannot be more excited about the release of my very first novel. i also have a new cd to go along with the book based on its characters and situations.

this may be dolly's first novel but no stranger to reading her charity organization, imagination library, has provided millions of books to children all over the world. "run, rose, run" out in march and we can't wait to check it out. >> seems as if dolly parton gets old, she's working more and more >> #goals. keeps her young. next up, jay leno, former "tonight show" host, known as a gear head, recently the 71-year-old tried out a very different kind of stunt, climbing out of a moving plane mid-air. watch this. [ laughter ] >> hilarious >> what? >> is that real? >> can you imagine let me explain jay explained the stunt on a radio show saying, yesterday,

that is in fact a real airplane. he climbed out from the nose of the plane to surprise his friends in the cockpit anything for a good laugh for jay. >> channeling tom cruise wow! >> had a great time. you heard him chuckling there. >> why does he want to kill himself? >> just wants to raise the bar do something new doesn't get bored, right see what happens next. next up, "funny girl," classic musical, headed back to broadway actress set to become the greatest star as she takes on the iconic role of fannie brice. it's the part that earned barbra streisand the academy award for best actress in the 1968 film adaptation she was sharing in a statement, her deep, personal connection to the show, saying, the first time i played fannie brice was at my third birthday party and head to toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me. safe to say that stepping into this iconic role on broadway and not in my family's backyard is truly my lifelong dream come true i love hearing stories like that it's not the first time she's

followed in barbra streisand's footsteps. in 2017, she made her broadway debut in the revival of "hello dolly. you know her voice is out of sight. >> wow. >> right finally, prince charles and princess diana 40 years since the world watched the prince of wales and lady diana's historic wedding and a major piece of memorabilia from that day just sold at auction for just over $2,500 any idea >> i didn't know there was my memorabilia left from that day >> a prenup? >> no. guess what a slice of royal wedding cake. yes. the 40-year-old pieces was sold to british local jerry lane, and despite the seemingly good condition the cake appears to be in it did come with a warning label, the auction cautioning it would advise against anyone, you know, trying to take a bite. a bite of the slice. they say, though, it can last forever. the cake comes from one of the 23 official wedding cakes from the 1981 royal nuptials.

$2,500, i think that's a steal >> is it is it a steal? >> a cake from the royal wedding? a slice, i mean? anyway -- there you go savannah >> you can have it, but don't eat it. straight ahead -- yeah consumer prices soaring. stephanie ruhle is with us to tell us what we should be buying right now, and what we should hold off on. stephanie joins us just ahead. good morning to you. it is 8:6. i'm whereby we were. police plan to air more detail osen a shooting that left a juvenile boy dead yesterday. the details are sketchy. it happened around 4:00 p.m. in alum rock on little wood lane, this is near foothill high school. all we know at this point is that victim is under the age of 18. police announced his death about four hours after the initial report of gunfire and we do know that it's being treated as a homicide, but there's no word on a possible suspect or a motive at this time.

we want to get a look at the forecast on this thursday. meteorologist kari hall is tracking it for us. >> clouds and some of us seeing light showers passing by with the monsoon moisture sparking off some rain off the coast but once again, a few of us waking up to a few spoetd y, light showers passing by. it will feel humid today and temperatures come down a couple of degrees in some spots but with the humidity, it will feel quite hot, reaching up to 86 degrees in san jose, 84 in livermore. martinez reaching 86 degrees and hotter temperatures for the weekend. marcus? >> thanks, kari. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. meet you back here then.

every single day, we're all getting a little bit better. we're better cooks... better neighbors... hi. i've got this until you get back. better parents... and better friends. no! no! that's why comcast works around the clock constantly improving america's largest gig-speed broadband network. and just doubled the capacity here. how do things look on your end? -perfect! because we're building a better network every single day.

it's 8:30 now on this thursday morning, and we have -- we have a new friend here in rockefeller plaza. there it is. it's a monumental sculpture called "shared," the artist's cause. >> what?

>> k-a-w-x if you can't tell, this bronze figure is a whopping 18-feet tall you can gaze up at it now until october. there's kawz friends on the plaza look at that stop in. say hello. >> okay. wow. it's interesting got to get over there and check it out coming up, you guys, talking about higher consumer prices the question is what can you do about them stephanie ruhle breaking down what to buy what to wait on if you're looking to save money. >> and then a conversation with america's most funniest and honest couples, kristen bell and dax shepard, telling us about their wild new game show why working on it together actually rekindled their romance and the surprising reason they get along better in small spaces. >> interesting plus with the new school year, could you use some organization inspiration? with the help of a busy family an expert shows you how to

create extra storage in your home. >> and then, guys, coming up on the "3rd hour of today," actor garrett evan joining us with inside scoop on the new season of his hit show "modern love." >> and we are excited for tomorrow on "today," because the super talented ben platt with us. broadway turned pop star >> one of my favorites >> for sure. should be a good one al, how's the weather looking? >> okay. look ahead to the weekend. never too early to do that looking at friday, hot and humid in the northeast we'll be watching a tropical storm, fred, down in the gulf. record heat out west on saturday, more of the same. more heavy rain down through florida because of fred. showers along the eastern sunday! -- we'll be looking at heavy rain through the southeast, and a nice day in the northeast and great lakes

>> i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we look at our temperatures today, we'll reach into the mid-70s in oakland today and san francisco the upper 60s. still in the 90s for antioch, livermore and morgan hill, with some upper 80s in the north bay. our inland temperatures in our hottest spots will feel like it's a lot hotter because of the high humidity, and then when the humidity drops, our temperatures go up on saturday. for san francisco, expect more clouds and fog and highs in the upper 60s. you know, always like to do that, run around the plaza. that, run around the plaza bring it back! right here okay here we go here we go here we go here we go here we go >> it's all coming back. it's all coming back thank you y'all for coming by, by the way thank you y'all for coming by. >> we wanted to come out and say

hi. when we come back and when mr. roker catch it's his breath. >> he's not winded. >> impressive. we have money-saving advice from steph to help you navigate through the soaring prices from everything from groceries to gas. how to deal with this inflation,

homelessness, housing, taxes, water, electricity, crime, wildfires. [sfx: bear roar] gavin, you've failed. we have to immediately cut taxes twenty-five percent. fix housing and homelessness. and make life in california affordable again.

i'm a businessman, the only cpa running. shouldn't we choose ability this time? we must have a competent governor with management experience and outsider integrity. [sfx: bear roar] that describes only john cox. we are back at 8:36 with "today's" consumer. as the economy recovers from the pandemic some prices are soaring, and experts are worried about a rising inflation rate. >> what does that mean for you? what does that mean for your wallet? nbc's senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle joins us with the bottom line of what to buy now. what perhaps to buy later. always how are you? >> great. how are you? >> great good to be here. >> talk about, first of all, what could this possible inflation mean for the economy at large >> right now the biggest factor driving prices up are supply

chain issues the economy all opened up same time and demand is booming at a time we don't have enough supply, whether goods or workers. for anything we're buying right now, prepare yourself. things are going to be about 10% higher just give yourself that cushion, and this is not the year to wait for last-minute deals, because not only will you possibly not get the deal, you my not even get the product. >> wow that's happened to us. talk about buy now or buy later. where are we starting? >> start with school supplies. >> okay. >> we all know kids are going back to school >> yes. >> many haven't been back to school in a year parents are expected to spend more this year than ever. >> really? that's on clothes, laptops, all classic school supplies. right now, buy everything you know you need. don't even wait for the teacher to send the specific list. you know your basics actually go to brick and mortar stores there are all sorts of shipping delays get what you need. i love labor day sales we all do. don't wait for labor day for the things you know you need right? there's no backpacks in my house now. if we wait and none to be had on

labor day, my 15-year-old son does not want to carry my purse to school in september buy what you need now and come labor day get the extras. >> what about toys >> my kids always say toys is always a good time this is about the holidays shop early you need to this year. toy prices haven't gone up yet but manufacturers expect them october to december. 25 to the usps will be adding a surcharge from october to december 25 cents for small packages. $5 for big ones. if you can buy now do it especially while free shipping and in no rush. >> beauty products >> yes the time for self-care we all need it cosmetics, perfume, makeup, all a bit cheaper than last year, but after labor day when we start going back to work, prices are probably going to go up, because we're going to need that stuff again. buy now. >> those are buy now what about buy later >> big-ticket items. let's talk cars. we keep hearing used cars cost so much. why? new cars, there's a huge chip

supply out there. >> yeah. >> and there is a shortage of chips and you need chips for new wars since there's less new cars on the lot we're not trading in our old cars if you can wait that issue will resolve over time, please do think about other big, big items. appliances. >> we need a new dryer i was going to get one maybe now i won't. >> if you can wait, please, do we are sick sitting on the same couch. mine has a dent from where i'm sitting but a bigger dent in my wallet if i buy it now what do you make furniture with? wood wood prices through the roof that pushed furniture prices up but the wood prices are going down lumber is going down. we expect those prices to go down wait a little bit. >> furniture, appliances, hold off on about 60 seconds left here mixed bag. >> mixed bag on travel plan if you can. much like the summer, when we knew everybody wanted to travel, end of the year, lots of people wanted to see their families for the holidays

they didn't do it last year. don't wait to book that trip book it now if you know you're going in december, and think about supply rental cars. hard to find because less people have been flying make sure you book ahead whether it's rental cars or hotels best chance you get a deal, book early and just want to make sure there's one available. can't just show up and say, i'll take an suv. chances are you'll be walking. >> business correspondent, thank you, thank you. still ahead, ever thought how you and your spouse would do on a game show kristen bell and dax shepard talk about stress testing their talk about stress testing their marriage on their new show, but

this couple is working hard on our state's recovery. you see, they live in california and keeping their vacation in california supports our small businesses and communities.

which means that beautiful baby gherkin atop this charcuterie masterpiece is like another brick in the rebuilding of our economy. job well done friends. calling all californians. keep your vacation here and help our state get back to work. and please travel responsibly. welcome back. welcome back what do you get when you have the lovability of kristen bell and dax shepard with zaniness of ellen's crazy competitions the answer, "family game fight." a new game show right here on

>> that's right. i got to catch up with one of o discuss the venture pitting these stars against each other in what may or may not be the best thing for a healthy relationship. >> well, guys, thanks for being here we really appreciate it. the name of this show, "family game fight," it sounds a little aggressive >> it's not a good name. i'm glad you pointed it out. >> that's what i said. there are a lot of flaws in the show >> yeah. this is but one of many. >> it's a battle added the word fight we're still mulling over whether that was the correct -- >> stuck with it we painted ourselves into a corner and here we are. >> so what's the premise what constitutes the fight the battle >> lots of games >> i'm so sorry. that's a brain freeze. >> let's do this. >> it's happening, you guys. >> ah! >> and a game called "pie rollers.

losers get pies to the face. >> they get multiple pies. what makes this game show, i think, much different, a, originated from kristen and i doing a bit on "ellen" called -- >> "taste buds." >> blindfolded and i eat them. yellow, grow on trees, monkeys eat them >> eucalyptus i said. >> no. it was an unmitigated disaster. >> we were really fighting. >> it's objectively the funniest thing we've ever done together it's pretty hysterical watching how frustrated we were with each other. what if this was a whole show? >> correct me if i'm wrong it would seem you're tempting fate as a couple >> you know what you're dead right. it's very cocky of us to leave the out a 6 and 8-year-old, already going to kill each other, and then go to warner brothers and do it for another

16 hours straight. >> yeah. >> squished together with your family, in the pandemic, with your kids. driving each other nuts. get out of a pandemic, first thing you do, get into an even smaller space, in an rv, and start driving. explain that choice to me. >> for some reason, our family, the four of us, have learned how to cooperate in a small space better than a large space. you make different choices when you can't escape you choose wisely. i feel like. we got along great the girls barely fought. >> we've had a lot of little compartment -- one of them is knocking at the door even though they know they can't come out. >> hold on. you take the question. i'll get the child we're on tv right now. we're on the news. she just said, "okay."

this, i'm sure, is about the doll's birthday -- >> a bag with some -- >> her doll's birthday now we have to order a cake. she's taking it very seriously. >> wow guys, you mentioned different sights, different smells speaking of that, i understand there's an issue about bathroom hygiene. >> what was the intention? was it -- was it to be in the toilet bowl or in the trash can? kristen thinks she's playing horseshoes with the trash can. if it is within nine inches of the trash can, for her that's a point. >> good point. >> there's q-tips laying on the ground ip, there's a price to pay for america's sweethearts. >> and before we go, circle back to "family game fight. what was it like i mean, did you enjoy working together >> more than ever on this one. in life every day there's nine options for us to disagree we don't have a common goal. we don't want to eat at the same place, don't want to watch the

same tv show, we don't have the similar opinion on what we should do with the kids as parents. it's a nonstop waterfall compromise when we work together, it's just a rare bubble we have the exact same goal. like, we want the show to be great, and it's rare, i think, for partners in a marriage to be the benefactor of their partner's genius. >> your partner is an accountant you don't get to go to work and see them do a spread sheet with numbers, a massive spread sheet. >> people go away to, like, nice hotels for a week to rekindle. we go shoot 90 hours and, yeah, and come out looking like -- we picked the right one >> i love talking to these guys. they are just -- bonkers, but you can see how close they are the toilet thing. i don't understand. >> missed the mark. >> you know, just doesn't quite -- >> rushing >> boom. do that -- >> well -- we're going to have more with dax and kristen on "3rd hour today," including inspiration on their line of children's products. check out more at 2:30 and 6:30

on our streaming channel, "today" all day, and we should mention "family game fight" airs wednesdays at 9:00, 8:00 central here on nbc. >> good stuff. up next, need to make the most of your space who doesn't? lan is getting your hodyme

. >> announcer: "today" home, stay organized. sponsored by >> announcer: "today" home, get organized. sponsored by wayfair wayfair, no place like it. we're back at 8:50 and dylan joins the group with "today" home families preparing for the new school year. a lot of folks working from home no better time for us to get organized, and dylan, recently you got to catch up with designer adair curtis for smart ways to shape up small spaces. >> yeah. i certainly did. we want to add a little simplicity to whatever space needs help organizing that desk space to organizing toys to misplacing

your keys. we want to make that all a thing of the past so we dropped in to help a young california couple with two small children find serenity in their home, and thanks to the furniture provided by our sponsor wayfair, that's just what we did. >> tuesdays, always very chaotic. >> reporter: with little ones at home, every inch of space, every corner and counter matters. >> can you do it, too? >> reporter: like so many families during the pandemic, drew and monica's home became a hubbub, all-purpose, around-the-clock center 6 their lives. >> it's like a dual work station for me kids playstation. >> reporter: drew, a wedding videographer who owns his own company, works from a tiny nook on the couple's second floor landing surrounded by toys monica returned to work as a teacher and tries to keep things organized downstairs feeling a bit overwhelmed at times by tightness of the space and lack of organization, they welcomed the help to put things in place

that's when designer adair curtis stepped in, taking an in-depth look and focusing on three key areas -- the entryway, the office, and the play area. transforming each to achieve clutter-free and calm spaces they have a business lifestyle always on the move the entryway is a good place to tackle >> with two kids not a lot of space things get cluttered really, really fast. so we went out and we found a beautiful entry table that included a lot more storage so they can create a really great habits going in and out of the space. >> reporter: what is the best advice for, you know, making sure you actually keep an area that's dedicated to, you know, your keys, wallet? >> you need space that kind of calls for you to be able to drop those things there, and you know you have a dedicated space, it

helps you create great habits. >> reporter: makes sense let's talk office. they don't have a closed-door office and he's kind of sharing it with his kids because it's also their playroom. how did you tackle this? >> the couple, i noticed, had a really beautiful credenza for storage and putting things away, but the credenza was pretty low. so they had all of this wall space. we reached out to wayfair and got a beautiful bookcase that went vertically up that wall and allowed for a lot more storage space. >> what do you think >> look at all the space for our toys >> then another thing we like to do when we don't have the real estate on the floor with furniture is, we brought in some floating shelves, and the i lof floating shelves not only help create vignettes on the wall but it's another space for storage. >> i love the open-shelf concept. when it comes to an office

itself, what's the best way to stay organized so you're not always searching for a file or a pen, whatever it is you need >> create spaces in an office where things should live that may be a special drawer dedicated to files that may be on the top of the desk a bin dedicated to mail, dedicated to other paperwork. >> the storage in the desk, everything's not out is great. curtis, check it out. >> do you like the baskets how can you keep it organized without being cluttered? >> totally we thought about that, because not everything is going to look aesthetic and pleasing and we brought in a few bins for things to also kind of go away, and, you know, you only pull them out on occasion, but they still look great up on the shelf. >> reporter: just don't hide all your junk in the bins. >> that's right. get rid of all your junk, totally. >> reporter: drew and monica agree. storage is key.

>> bookshelf pretty big there but i got excited about that because of all the cute, little kid pieces on there, and the baskets for organization >> my work station is where i live pretty much, and it's that much more clean and spacious and comfortable and i'm all about it. >> reporter: a fresh start to their busy lives. what a happy now organized family so if this gives you the itch to get organized i asked adair what we can do right now. his number one tip, get rid of everything that you do not use on a very regular basis. >> ooh. >> easier said than done you have those emotional attachments to the items but it's a good golden rule to try to stick to. that's number one. >> i'm not good at that. you need to be ruthless. got to bring in a friend. >> exactly. ahead, terry crews, final season of "brooklyn 99." >> i love that show. and ways to stave on back-to-school shopping and much more of mr. roker's conversation with dax shepard and kristen bell talking about the whole

showering thing? >> they do hygiene, kind of optional for them. >> we'll explain -- after your local news. >> hmm. hmm. hmm. good morning to you. 8:56. i'm marcus washington, and some mandatory evacuation orders are now being downgraded to warnings, for residents in the area of the dixie wildfire, this as firefighters make headway in really trying to control the flames. the losses, though, they're

staggering. cal fire right now puts the number of structures destroyed at more than 1,100, about half are believed to be homes. that fire has burned more than half a million acres in four counties since it started in mid-july. firefighters this morning say it is 30% contained. happening now, we're tracking smoke from that fire and others across the area now blowing into the bay area. all of this is setting up for an air quality advisory for today. we're going to have team coverage for you coming up during our midday newscast. some students across the bay area today are returning to campuses to start their fall terms, this also includes college students, some of whom are returning to dormitories for the first time in more than a year. head to our midday newscast, we'll have one east bay school adjusting to the new covid realities. fda regulators seem to be closer than ever to approaching a covid vaccine booster shot but it won't likely go out to everyone all at once. download the nbc bay area app.

[baby crying] i got it. i got it. ♪ ♪ give grandma kisses. mwah. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

getting some help with the little one, from her biggest fan. some real face time. just an amtrak away. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today". >> oh, good morning. welcome to the "3rd hour of today"! thursday, it's august 12th. what do you call thursday? >> it's -- friday-eve. friday-eve! >> getting compcated. >> right here, this is sheinelle, this is dylan, and there's al roker. good to have you here on a thursday. >> feels like indoor recess. had outdoor recess the last two weeks. >> i know. >> now it's like, come on inside again. >> indoor recess, when it was raining? >> absolutely. >> did you enjoy indoor recess? >> no. just kidding.

i di