over the next hour. we tend to see that the south bay. >> we're always back with a local news update in half hour. 7:25. every half hour after that. >> look at the haze out there and be careful. have a great wednesday. watch out for kids. school is starting. >> we are getting them lined up and getting them on planes, but this is an hour by hour issue. >> the taliban promising not to interfere but the u.s. military not taking chances securing the airport as they race to complete the emergency air lift and overnight, president biden returns to the white house to face the growing political fallout. complete coverage from washington and kabul straight ahead.

washington and kabul, straight ahead. take three -- health officials set to unveil the plan today for all americans to get vaccine booster shots. >> we don't want to wait until it's like, oh, too late. >> the covid crisis continues to spiral and cases skyrocketing in children as the school year begins. >> what you need to know with the former acting director of the cdc. flooding fears from the south all the way to vermont as remnants of fred move slowly up the east coast, while out west, dangerous new wildfires prompt new evacuations. the latest and al's forecast, just ahead. those stories, plus astronaut in training. the cancer survivor hard at work preparing for her historic trip. >> nothing but excitement. and the good butterflies. >> she will join us for an exclusive live interview on her mission and using it to help kids at the very hospital that once saved her life. and ready or not, from drinks to snacks, fall's

favorite flavor already here. why earlier than ever we're seeing pumpkin spice and one guy not feeling everything nice about it. today, wednesday, august 18th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. nice to have you with us on this wednesday morning. >> a lot to get to considering the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan, the taliban takeover and also what is next. >> as of this morning, up to 15,000 americans are still in afghanistan. the u.s. racing to get them back home. but officials say taliban checkpoints are making it difficult to get those outside of kabul safely to the airport. >> we are also hearing from the nobel peace prize winner who at age 15 was shot in the face by a taliban gunman on her way home

from school. she released an op-ed from the "new york times" saying in part there will be time to debate what went wrong but, quote, in this critical moment, we must listen to the voices of the afghan women and girls. we have no time to spare. >> we have full coverage this morning. we'll start in kabul with nbc's richard engle. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. a surprising admission from the taliban, one of their top leaders just telling today nbc news that even they were surprised that kabul fell so quickly, that they didn't have the resources in place to take the city but they took the city nonetheless. and here from this very base, the evacuation of americans and american contractors and foreign contractors is now moving along very quickly. we made it on to the military side of kabul airport. the last place in afghanistan where the american flag still flies. here is where the united states

is overseeing an elaborate evacuation from the country. this has become effectively the last u.s. military base in afghanistan, the last presence of american troops in this country after 20 years. they're only focused on one thing, wrapping it up. the evacuation is mostly focused on air lifting americans and other foreign nationals. and afghans who managed to obtain visas and who are happy to leave. two days ago, it looked very different here. this side of the airport was overwhelmed. when thousands of afghans stormed the runways, cramming on to commercial planes which got so full pilots wouldn't take off. they scrambled to board american military transport jets, clinging on as they taxied for takeoff. afghan media report several people have fallen to their deaths as they tried to hold on to aircraft in flight. i spoke to a group of afghans who all worked on this base for

years, earning around $500 a month to be cleaners and cooks. not one has obtained a visa. and what would happen to you or you or you if you go back home? are you worried for your safety? >> of course. >> absolutely. they're searching the homes. >> if you are outside, of cours. >> reporter: what bothers them isn't just the lack of action, but the lack of concern. >> this is the first time that somebody ask about our lives. nobody has asked what is your problem, what your -- or have a family. nobody. >> reporter: so this us talking to you -- >> this is the first time. >> we told some americans please give me the recommendation. >> reporter: just outside the airport, there are still many afghans pushing to get in, including many women, begging to get out of the country so they don't have to live under the taliban. overnight, afghanistan's new

presumptive leader arrived in kandahar, driving through the islamist stronghold in a protected convoy. the taliban now in charge are promising to protect human rights, incl opinion on women in politics, the idea seemed laughable. and just -- and just this morning, a state department official met with the workers on this base. the afghan local nationals and told them that they are going to work on bringing their families on to this base and getting both them and their families out of the country. savannah. >> richard, you have covered this country for many, many years. what has this latest crisis been like on the ground? how are people there in afghanistan reacting to the beginning of taliban rule? >> reporter: so, most people are afraid. some people are trying to leave their homes.

most people are just staying inside. but we are seeing a bit of resistance, perhaps the taliban showing their true colors. there's been yesterday a small demonstration of some brave afghan women demanding their rights. earlier today, some afghans in the city of jalalabad brought out the old afghan flag saying this is our flag. we support it. we don't want the white taliban flag. according to witnesses, as they were holding that small demonstration, the taliban drove by in a vehicle, opened fire on the demonstrators, and according to witnesses killed at least three of those demonstrators. >> wow. just speaks to their courage, richard. thank you very much. as we mentioned, president biden returned to washington overnight where frustration and pressure are mounting over that situation in afghanistan. his order to withdraw u.s. troops and how this whole thing is being handled. peter alexander joins us now with more.

hey, peter, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. new this morning the first americans arriving here in the u.s., those flights touching down in the last few hours at washington's dulles airport. as the fallout builds, we're also learning that just last month, even though president biden told americans it was unlikely to fall to the taliban, u.s. intelligence assessments were detailing the potential for a taliban takeover just as we've seen happen. president biden now back at the white house but still facing criticism over how the u.s. was so unprepared for the afghanistan withdrawal. his national security adviser defending the president's decision despite those scenes of chaos. >> when you conclude 20 years of military action in a civil war in another country, you have to make a lot of hard calls. >> reporter: those evacuations

aim to go move 5,000 to 9,000 americans and afghan allies out of the country each day. the administration is now relying on the taliban to clear the way. >> the taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to thevilians to the t and we intend to hold them to that commitment. >> reporter: former and current officials in recent weeks told the cia and began to warn in increasingly stark terms about the potential for a rapid collapse of the afghan government and military. the white house will not confirm whether president biden ever received such a dire forecast from his national security team. overnight, former president trump weighing in. >> this is the greatest embarrassment, i believe, in the history of our country >> however, many white house officials say the deal mr. trump negotiated with the taliban and his own earlier withdrawal date left them with few good alternatives but president biden's own party is demanding answers the democratic chairs of the house and senate foreign

relations committees demanding an accounting and capitol hill testimony. leon panetta says while the u.s. was successful in its post-9/11 mission to target al qaeda and osama bin laden, america has failed its second mission, to prevent afghanistan from becoming a hotbed for terrorism, with the taliban now back in control. >> there is no question that they will provide a safe haven for al qaeda and isis and othern allies out overnight reporting u.s. military flights have now evacuated more than 3,200 people terrorists >> reporter: the administration is now focused on getting americans and afghans out overnight. they have now evacuated more than 3,200 people including roughly 1100 u.s. citizens, permanent residents and their families the white house saying president biden will convene a virtual meeting with g-7 leaders next week to discuss the strategy going forward. and coming up in our next half hour, we will hear from

people with a unique perspective on the situation, s. veterans who served in afghanistan and still have close contacts there. now in the next step against the coronavirus, we expect to learn more from health officials today about the plans to roll out vaccine booster shots. in the meantime, cases continue to surge in major cities sam brock is in miami with the very latest. sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. so many people probably confused about the booster shot it is the exact same shot. health officials hope the third time will prevent enough antibody creation to ward off the delta variant and our mutations. looking for a new weapon against the aggressive delta variant that's been rapidly undoing months of progress against covid, the federal invesgovernmi expected to unvail a plan today

for an extra booster shot for all americans. >> part of our operational focus was ensuring we had enough supply to provide boosters shots should that be a decision made by the fda so that has been in our planning processes for months now >> reporter: the white house has not yet tipped its hand on many details. but nih director dr. francis collins did say a study out of israel is unnerving. it found for those 65 or older who received their second shot in january, the vaccine is now only 55% effective against severe disease >> that's the same thing we're starting to see in the u.s. data, although right now, it still looks as though our vaccine protection is working really well. but we don't want to wait until it is like, oh, too late >> reporter: health officials say a third shot would provide an extra level of protection and would come at least eight months after your second dose does it seem likely that there was some data at play here that triggered alarm bells for the federal government >> the cdc has been collecting data and they must see a signal among all the noise that has caused for them to want to take

what i think of as presentative action we really can prevent hospitalizations and death >> as you may have heard by now, i have tested positive for covid-19 >> reporter: texas governor greg abbott testing positive for the virus after attending this packed indoor event with few visible masks. the governor says he's fully vaccinated and two sources say abbott told people he received a third shot. elsewhere, a very different approach, leaders in new mexico and chicago announcing an indoor mask mandate for everyone 2 and up regardless of vaccination status and if you want to fly, keep the face covering handy. the tsa ordering mask mandates through january 18th, 2022 as for timing on the booster shot and folk who is want it early, the nih director says

it's important to give your immune system enough time to realize your full antibody potential otherwise it might not be effective >> we want to turn now to dr. richard besser, former acting director of the cdc. good to see you. >> good to see you, savannah >> so the cdc is expected to present its case for a third booster shot what in your mind is driving this concern that the protection from these vaccines, the pfizer and the moderna, wanes over time >> you know, savannah, i think there's probably two things we're going to hear about. one is the most dire concern and that would be if they're starting to see an increased risk of severe infection, hat cn hospitalization, or death. in israel, they are seeing an increased risk of severe infection. that was what cdc has been watching for the most. the other piece of it, though, is that we are seeing widespread transmission of delta around the

country and we are seeing a significant number of breakthrough infections. clearly, the vaccine reduces dramatically your risk of having any infection. but if we want to get this delta variant under control and if we are seeing a number of people who are fully vaccinated getting infected, a booster shot could help with that >> but to be clear, right now, that booster shot would be the exact same shot that those of us have already received. in other words, it's not yet tailored to the delta variant. >> exactly and the expectation is that they're going to recommend people get the same vaccine that they received for their primary series of two shots. but they'll lay that out today as to why. but it is not a new vaccine. it is one of the vaccines that's already been authorized by the fda. >> let's talk about breakthrough infections we know from talking to experts like you over these last few months that the vaccines were never promised to say you wouldn't get infected at all they're supposed to stop you

from getting sick or dying they've accounted for 12% to 24% of hospitalizations in the six states they looked at. how concerning is that >> well, that's what i was talking about before so if -- in terms of breakthrough infections it's largely or exclusively either mild or -- infections or infections with no symptoms at all, that would away different story. but if we're starting to see people who are fully vaccinated be hospitalized, that's a reason to go for boosters in particular, if they're seeing increased hospitalization or increased severe infection among those groups that have already shown that they're at the greatest risk, elderly, people in nursing homes, people with certain medical conditions, that's another reason why it's important to get boosters. and this is something that is seen f o as alu shot each year. and part of that is because of the need for a boosting effect >> that was my -- i was going to ask you a quick final thought.

you do wonder if this is going to increase vaccine hesitancy and veptd schism on the one hand, it's straightforward, we get booster shots all the time for the flu shot now are people going to say, aha, first you said two shots and now you say three. what is this all about can you be trusted >> i hope not. if you look at who is hospitalized and who is dying, the vast majority, 90% for hospitalizations, 99 plus percent of people who are dying are people who are unvaccinated. it is the best way to protect your health and the health of those around you but, savannah, my last thought is if we don't do more as a nation to provide vaccine around the globe, we are going to be continuing to face covid and new variants for the indefinite future we are at risk as long as there's widespread global transmission of covid. >> good point and maybe one for discussion later it's an important one, dr. besser, thank you so much. in our next hour, we're going to take a closer look at what is driving the rise of these covid cases.

we have another story we're following out west, tom. good morning the wildfires out west in california are growing and advancing towards more populated areas leading to evacuations the caldor fire raced through the small down of grizzly flats. tripped in size and burned dozens of homes. it prompted governor newsome to declare a state of emergency for the area gas and electric shut off power in 18 communities to prevent gusting winds from sparking power lines. north of that area, the dixie fire is advancing towards the town of susanville to give you an idea of how bad it is across the state line in nevada, the real sparks school district delayed its start time because of smoke blanketing the region it is so busy out west with those wildfires. >> al is following that as well as the remnants of fred. >> right now, if that dixie fire gets to susanville, it will be the first time ever a fire has crossed the sierra mountain. this would be a trans-sierra

event. it's already burned 627,000 acres. that's three times the size of manhattan. and more bad news there, 104 active fires in the u.s. today most of those in the west. poor air quality and the winds are shifting now coming down to the south so instead of going out east, they are moving to the south san luis obispo, as far south as san diego. we're keeping an eye on the tropics. we have three systems we're watching henri, we're going to look at that in the next half hour grace moving into cuba into the yucatan. not a problem for us right now tropical depression fred is a big weather maker. severe risk for 11 people, especially in the northeast. tornados likely later today into tonight. damaging winds, hail threat rather low, but we are also watching a lot of rain with this system 27 million people impacted by flash flood watches into the northeast and new england later today. the system moving up to the

north. risk of flooding, the strong winds continue to move east. the low will slide tomorrow into new england with heavy rain from upstate new york on into maine look at these rainfall totals. 1 to 2 inches rainfalls likely per hour upwards of 6 inches of rain in the alleghenys and on up into the cat skills and into the northeast, as well continue to go track this during the day today. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds just think, he'll be driving for real soon. every new chevy equinox comes standard with chevy safety assist including automatic emergency braking. >> good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. happy first day of school for the kids heading out the door. let's check out our forecast for san jose.

it's going to be smoky today. head's up about that. our temperatures in the south bay start out in the upper 60s. head toward the low to mid 80s today and it's going to be very hazy. as the smoke returns to the bay area unhealthy air quality and our temperatures in the mid 80s inland, but still 60s for the coastline. as we go through the seven-day forecast more of the same extending into the weekend. and that's your latest weather, guys. coming up, an eye opening conversation with a group of u.s. veterans who served in afghanistan. their reaction to the country's progress and they say is going to waste now and they're trying to help the afghans who once helped them and then, we have a "today" exclusive. she's in our studio. she conquered cancer and now hayley arceneaux is heading to space with just a few weeks to go she is here. she's using her trip to inspire other young people who are

coming up, we tap into our inner child. we're going to tell you all about it >> but first, your local news and weather. custom cash℠ card, a different kind of card that rewards rashida where her spending is trending. just ask overly confident diy rashida rashida: wait, was this the right wall? or last minute gift shopping rashida rashida: i'm putting 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. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling.

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means you don't have to choose just one adventure ♪ ♪ you get both. introducing the all-new 3-row jeep grand cherokee l jeep. there's only one. a very good morning to you. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia. here's today's top stories including power shutoffs affecting thousands of bay area customers. >> i'm kris sanchez here in the bay area, some of you could lose power today as pg&e conducts a public safety power shutoff. this could affect folks in the areas of alameda, contra costa county, napa, solano and sonoma counties in addition to charging your phone or laptop to get through the day, make sure your because without power some gas stations may have to shut down and expect that the power will be out for at least 24 hours because the utility has to

inspect lines before they can flip the switch back on. >> good morning. i'm cierra johnson in san francisco. specifically at the intersection of 7th and brandon where a new covid high volume testing site is opening today. 500 tests will be given at this appointment only location both a drive-through as well as a walk through facility and test results are available 24 to 48 hours after you receive your tests. let's check that forecast with meteorologist kari hall. boy, behind me is already looking pretty brown and smoky. >> it looks so bad out there right now. this is basically what we're going to see throughout the day. not a lot of sunshine and our air quality will remain unhealthy as we're going to see much more of the smoke coming in today settling into the bay area also tomorrow looks very smoky so you do want to limit your time outside as we've seen the large fires that have burned across northern california now start to push down into our area for today and our temperatures will remain with those highs in the inland areas in the mid to

upper 80s. laura? >> thank you very much. we'll be back with another local news update for you in about a half hour. look at that behind me. be careful as you head out the door this morning.

we're back, 7:30 wednesday morning. isn't that pretty? it's the 18th of august, 2021. boy, the days of summer. they're waning but it's not over. summer is not over looking pretty nice in corolla, north carolina did i say that right >> we'll buy it. >> your forecast, coming up right there. okay >> yeah. >> i get it. he said north of camry >> it's a little toyota joke >> just south of sienna. your 7:30 headlines this

hour we're going to start with a blow to those texas democrats trying to block an election bill. the texas supreme court ruled last night that the house of representatives can arrest absent members and force them to return to the chamber to conduct their business the democratic lawmakers have used the only option available to them, they say, delay tactics, to stop that bill they say it restricts voting rights in july, a majority of delegation fled to washington, d.c., pressing congress to pass a national voting rights law the fda is warning dog owners about feeding their pup food from an indiana company the agency said yesterday that products from midwestern pet foods are associated with the illness or deaths of hundreds of pets at least 130 dogs have died, more than 200 became sick. the fda says the products may contain potentially unsafe levels of mold, a mold byproduct. the company is silent on the issue so far and the thermometer still reads summer, but that's no concern for the lovers of the iconic fall flavor, pumpkin

spice. love it or despise it, starting today, pumpkin spice is back earlier than ever at dunkin', featuring its signature latte as well as a pumpkin cold brew. the starbucks lineup is leased next week. it's expected to debut at starbucks next week. starbucks released its new at-home pumpkin products earlier this month people, it is still summer >> oh, my gosh let's go to angry man. >> first of all, there's no pumpkin in it. there's no spice there's barely a latte stop it. stop it. >> you don't dig it? >> i hate it and a lot of america hates it, too. how many of you in here hate it? yeah >> oh, my gosh >> the whole crew is revolting in fact, pumpkin spice is revolting! >> we have an uprising on our hands. >> i'm going to just have a regular black coffee and get wired up again >> maybe decaf i'm angry. guys, we want to switch

gears now and we want to get back to this morning's top story, the fall of afghanistan to the taliban and the end of america's longest war. >> yeah. for u.s. service members who served there, the situation is deeply personal. they have a lot to say about how things are playing out and about the afghan people who helped them and are now left behind hallie jackson spoke to a group of four veterans good morning >> reporter: good morning to all of you for those veterans, making sure their afghan interpreters and other helpers get out safely came up again and again in our conversation as they share what they're feeling -- the guilt, anger, and anguish american veterans watching the devastating images of the taliban takeover they worked so hard to prevent. as you've been watching what has happened in the last 72 hours, how are you doing? >> i want to suit up and go back >> i would give anything to go back >> reporter: for them, it's personal as the biden administration works to process and evacuate afghan interpreters, fixers and other

helpers. >> my interpreter who is stuck right now, who i'm trying to get out, he's hiding out in an area where he says that nobody knows who he is. he's very afraid >> reporter: for his own safety, right? >> yes, for his safety and for the safety of his family he sent me a picture of two of his boys and they're -- i mean, it's devastating >> i feel this really strong sense of guilt it is my job to, you know, go around to these different villages, to help them build their country and make it a better place and this just completely makes me a liar, you know? >> it's not just the soldiers we're talking about, it's the diplomates, the aid workers, the people who believed in this future of this country that we're all trying to build together, they don't have a future now >> reporter: they're still fighting

this is a deployment from my living room. we're trying to do everything we can. >> i've just had to put aside everything else. because i feel responsible my two friends who are still stuck in kabul are -- i am the only hope that they have to survive right now. i am, like, literally their last hope >> reporter: marine corps veteran beau wise deployed twice to afghanistan pulled from the battlefield after his two brothers who also served were killed there he remembers them in his memoirs, "three wise men." as they work to help them, they reflect on their legacy. you talk about your two kids, 2 and 4 now. how do you want them to remember this war >> oh, that's a heck of a question you know, i don't want them to be ashamed of anything i mean, we -- we lost for a few weeks, but we won for 20 years and i want them to be proud. >> reporter: one other thing

that came up again and again is the idea of the taliban now, as we've talked about here on the show, pledging more peaceful relations. none of the veterans we spoke with actually believe that will happen they do not think the taliban has changed. they do not think the taliban can be trusted given what they saw on the ground over the last two decades. but i have to tell you, guys, these are people, they are not in afghanistan anymore, but, boy, they are on a mission unbelievably dedicated to making sure those afghan helpers get out. even after our interviews, they're passing around spreadsheets and contact information. they will not stop until those people get to safety >> they're not there but their hearts are there hallie, thank you very much. up next, we head to the cosmos, the countdown to the first all-civilian space mission now less than a month away >> among the crew, a remarkable cancer survivor who will achieve several firsts she's with us exclusively to talk about that mission and how it will help the very hospital, that one saved her life, coming up right after this.

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part of the all-civilian mission into earth's orbit >> pretty cool 29-year-old hayley arceneaux is one of those four. she is here to share how her team is training, but first, a a look at how she arrived at this moment. for 29-year-old hayley, life has always been about beating the odds at 10 years old, hayley was diagnosed with bone cancer, becoming a patient at st. jude's research hospital. after chemo and surgery to install prosthetic bones in her left leg, she left st. jude with a dream. >> what are your dreams? what do you dream about? >> i want to be a nurse at st. jude >> 19 years later, hayley's dream became a reality when she was hired by st. jude as a physician's assistant in their oncology unit. but for all those years, hayley was holding on to another dream, too. >> a few months before i was diagnosed, my family went to nasa in houston. and, of course, i wanted to be an astronaut after i went there.

>> now, hayley is less than a month away from reaching her dreams of space. she's one of four crew members on the "inspiration 4" team, occupying a seat donated to st. jude by mission commander and billionaire jared isaacman the team will take off on one of elon musk's spacex rockets for the first all-civilian trip into the earth's orbit. hayley chronicling the team's preps online, including a test of zero gravity flight, fighter jet training in montana and even signing the rocket that will take her and the team to space >> right now, i just feel nothing but excitement and the good butterflies >> after she was named to the flight, hayley told "today" her most important mission is being an example for children fighting for cancer, showing them that their biggest dreams can come true too >> i can't wait to talk to my patients about this and just to show them that they don't have to limit themselves because they can really do anything >> we are so excited to have

hayley here with us in studio. you are about to have a lot of firsts, girl you are the youngest going up in space. you are the first cajun going up in space are we right about that? >> yes and the first person with a prosthetic body part too >> you've been getting ready and when i read about how you all have been training these last six months, it looked like the adventure of a lifetime. fill us in what have you been doing >> i feel like i'm getting all of these once in a lifetime experiences in one training for space has been a lot of studying, but also a lot of really fun adventures we did a zero gravity flight, which was one of the most fun things i've ever done. got to experience no gravity we climbed a mountain together we did centrifuge training to get accustomed to the g-forces we're going to experience and some water survival training we've done it all. >> there's a picture behind you of you floating in air what did that feel like for you? >> it was the weirdest sensation of not being attached to anything and then, i mean, i did run into a lot of walls and ceilings

because it's harder than you would expect to navigate into your gravity but really cool training >> you guys did a three-day simulator experience that's going to be very close to what you experienced in space, right? >> we did a 30 hour and we did everything that we're going to do in space. we did the research. we practiced eating our space foods and wearing our space clothes a,nd that was such good preparation, i feel like we're really ready when they strap us in in four weeks >> i did want to ask you about the space suit because you are rocking it and the zero gravity hair is working for you. it's better than beyonce how did it work when you were putting your space suit on >> it was just the other week when i got to put on my space suit it's so sleek and so cool and i went and looked in the mirror and it was the craziest thing, that i felt like i'm an actual astronaut. i'm going to space this is happening. >> i remember when you were asked to do this, you said one of the first things you had to do was ask your mom if it was okay so your mom is seeing this become a reality how does she feel watching you go through all this?

>> she's so proud. she's my biggest supporter and my biggest cheerleader we're getting to go through this together because it's such an expoompbs for the families as well they're making sure the families are comfortable. we're actually going to see a launch together next week, another spacex launch. so the families will know what it's like to see a launch. >> one of things i wonder is how do you pack for space? and you get to bring your own suitcase full of personal items and mementos do you know what you're going to pack >> that was one of the first things i thought about i looked on online and there are no travel blogs. i'm bringing some things that are important to me, pictures of friends i lost to cancer they're such an important part of my mission, raising money for st. jude >> and there's a momentum from your dad i thought it was super sweet >> i lost my dad to cancer three years ago. and he had this really bold st. jude tie and i would always say don't wear that. that's not the most fashionable. but he insisted on wearing it

because people would ask him about it and people would ask him about st. jude so i'm bringing his tie to space. >> and your mom gave you some letters that you are supposed to open when you are up in space. >> my close family wrote me letters that on the envelope say open in space. i'm being really good. i'm not opening them on earth. it will be really special. >> there's going to be tears i wonder what will happen to the tears. >> they'll float i'll let you know. i think that's going to be really powerful for me >> we are rooting for you. when you're up in space, there will be extra sunshine up there because you are amazing and doing great work for the kids you care about so much at st. jude we'll be watching. >> can't wait. and you're going to stick around there's more with you on the third hour we're excited for that too let's head over to al for a check of the weather >> got a big smile right there i love it. let's see what we've got going on we told but tropical storm henri. it's expected to become a hurricane over the next several days 65-mile-per-hour winds it's just of the south-southwest of bermuda

right now, the track keeps it off the continental united states however, as you look at the track here, by monday, 3:00 a.m., the cone of uncertainty includes nantucket so we're going to be watching that very, very closely. minneapolis, going to see temperatures way above avege today. same in omaha, denver, north platte, bismarck, behind this cold front, temperatures anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees below average. as the system moves to the east, we keep those warmer than average temperatures in minneapolis, marquette, chicago, des moines, international falls, chilly back through the plains but as we get into the weekend, temperatures nice and summer-like. mid 80s for new york richmond upper 80s in charlotte, same in detroit, cincinnati, st. louis, minneapolis, you're going to see cooler conditions with temperatures into the weekend >> good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. already looking smoky across the bay area and unfortunately the smoke is expected to get worse today with some of the wildfire

smoke settling into the bay area. especially the north bay. you do want to limit your time outside today as well as the next couple days. probably not going to see too many changes. hopefully a stronger westerly breeze by the weekend will help clear things out. as our temperatures come down and san francisco will reach into the upper 60s into the weekend. and that is your latest weather. guys >> al, thank you still ahead, why are people who are vaccinated still getting covid? do certain shots make you more susceptible? we're breaking down everything you need to know about break through cases and the good news about the vaccine's protection but first, these messages.

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or if you are nursing, pregnant, or plan to be. more time is possible. ask your doctor about verzenio. a very good morning to you. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia. moments ago the white house announced plans to roll out covid vaccine booster shots starting september 20th. people will be eligible starting eight months after they receive their second dose of the vaccine. here's a look at what else is happening now. >> i'm kris sanchez. we could feel the impact of that wildfire smoke here in the bay area as the caldor fire exploded in size overnight. it is now 30,000 acres. evacuation centers there are full. the dixie fire also continues to grow and these eerie orange images are from san jose state's weather research lab with 1200 structures destroyed there, it's not just wood smoke, it's toxic and worse for anyone who is elderly, for children, anyone with respiratory or heart conditions. and we're already seeing the

effects right here in the bay area. kari is monitoring that for us. >> the smoke is going to get thicker as we go into the late morning afternoon hours as the northerly wind pushes the smoke into the bay area. notice the red and yellows indite unhealthy smoke. especially for the north bay today as we go into the next several days. still more smoke in the forecast with our inland temperatures in the mid to upper 80s and san francisco will see highs reaching into the upper 60s. laura? >> thanks so much. we'll be back with another local news update in about a half hour. leaving you with a live look outside this morning. smoky conditions, be careful as you head out the door.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, race against time the frantic rush to get tens of thousands of americans and afghans out of the region. >> we'll do as much as we can for as long as we can. >> while back at home, the white house on defense over those chaotic scenes we're live with the latest plus, breaking down the breakthrough cases our closer look at why some americans are getting covid even when they're fully vaccinated. >> almost all breakthrough cases, we do not see people dying. >> just ahead, what's fuelling the virus and how you can

protect yourself then, catching up with keaton from the movies we watched too many times to count. >> it's show time. career and his latest role that truly has him back in action then, camping it up. >> are you ready for a "today" show camp takeover >> team "today" gets together to serve as summer camp counselors for the day. >> do you like basketball? how much >> that much >> and then we just hop. and we hop >> in three, two, one, pour it >> how the kids helped make this a walk in the park, today, wednesday, august 18th, 2021 ♪ >> hi. we're the streetman family from florida.

>> and we're celebrating our daughter charlotte's first birthday on "today." >> hello from michigan we would like to wish our grandparents >> and parents >> a very happy 50th anniversary. >> happy anniversary >> i love you this much. >> ellington is turning -- >> 2 >> happy birthday! >> he's got the moves. >> wow >> ready to party. >> welcome back to "today. nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. we've got a crowd out there, too. they're celebrating a few things >> we're going to go out there and visit with them, too i'm looking forward to tomorrow. jenna has a remarkable story there was a super bowl ad that you guys may remember. it went viral. it was about an adopted paralympic swimmer she triumphed over incredible odds and became one of the world's most outstanding athletes and role models get ready to get inspired because you will meet her and her family >> love that let's get to your news at 8:00 the u.s. military struggling to

maintain order and security at kabul airport where thousands of americans and afghan allies are desperate to get out as the taliban takes over nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle is there with the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah things here at the military side of the kabul international airport are looking a lot better than they were a couple of days ago. it was here that afghans stormed onto the runways they were clinging on to the bottom of planes they were stopping evacuation flights as they were trying to get any plane they could now a lot more troops have been brought in jets are above this place is much more secure over the last several hours we're seeing more afghans being escorted onto the base in an orderly way. they're being processed and being put on planes. so a degree of control has been imposed here but this is an island.

the rest of this country is controlled by the taliban just outside the gates here there are afghans who are trying to push their way in, afghans who don't want to live under taliban rule the taliban again today promised that it is different, that women can work, women can go to school, but many afghans don't believe them yesterday we saw the first tiny protest of a few very brave women who were going out and saying that they want the taliban to respect their rights, that they don't trust the taliban. then earlier this morning, a group of protesters in the city of jalalabad took to the streets also against the taliban they were carrying the old afghan flag and they were saying this is our flag, not the white taliban flag but according to witnesses, the taliban militants drove by, opened fire on the crowd and killed at least three people suggesting that the taliban's promise of changing its colors may not be true. >> unfortunately, no

richard, thank you very much let's go now to haiti where the u.s. and other countries are ramping up relief efforts for survivors of last week's devastating earthquakede the death toll there, soaring overnight to over 2,000 people gabe gutierrez is there for us >> savannah and hoda, good morning. the u.s. coast guard is already on the move this morning bringing critical supplies and medical personnel to some of the hardest hit regions. actually, just a few moments ago, they just dropped off the critically wounded patients her the in port-au-prince. in port-au-prince. we traveled on one of these rescue missions moments after the top rolled through adding insult to injury on the ground in haiti, an urgent rescue mission. thousands of survivors injured in this weekend's devastating earthquake desperate for medical attention. >> they're significantly overrun and underresourced right now >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard landing in hard hit areas

minutes after tropical storm grace hit the region urging to help a child with a broken leg and the nervous mother with few options left this is what survive looks like in haiti the coast guard just took out 30 seven patients, some of them very young they've been waiting days for help >> some of these kids that we've seen, they've had buildings come down on their parents and they're all alone and it really is just so heartbreaking >> reporter: the haitian government says the death toll here has soared to nearly 2,000 people almost 10,000 have been injured. unicef said the quake damaged or destroyed 84,000 homes one of the toughest parts about this operation is getting supplies to the many people that need it. many roads are shut down, cutting off entire communities for a country that's already seen so much tragedy, hope is in short supply, which is in when retired flight paramedic teresa gray heard about the quake, she

flew in from alaska, one of many american volunteers now rushing in to help >> it's always an urgent need when haiti is in trouble always that's why we've been here a number of times. because when haiti gets in trouble, they get in trouble badly and we need to be here as soon as possible to help as much as we can. >> reporter: again, after dropping off those patients just moments ago, the coast guard is once again preparing to head back into the air to some of these hard-hit regions now, the united nations has set aside $8 million in relief, but damages here in haiti are expected to cost billions. hoda >> gabe gutierrez there for us in port-au-prince, thank you a lot of serious news this morning, so how about a boost. >> i think you guys are going to like this one. a polish athlete maria andrejczyk put good use she saw a fund-raising page for

a baby who needed help maria, who happens to be a cancer survivor, offered her medal to the highest bidder to help pay for that little boy's operation. a polish supermarket chain won that auction, paid her $125,000 and it was so impressed by maria's noble gesture they told maria, keep your medal too >> oh. >> is that amazing >> so amazing. up next, the concern surrounding breakthrough covid cases. >> yeah. what is driving them is your risk greater depending on which vaccine you got are the vaccines still working to prevent serious illness vicky nguyen is here with answers to those questions right after this rashida: i told you this would happen. dan: the light was not even on. no, it was on. dan: what? with the new citi custom cash℠ card it pays to be you. from fitness clubs, gas stations, restaurants and more, earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle.

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back now, 8:13 and one of the concerns as the delta variant drives a surge of new covid cases are those breakthrough infections. >> everyone is talking about this that's when people who are vaccinated still get the virus here to answer our questions is vicky nguyen vicky, good morning. >> good morning. our entire team had so many questions as we hear so much more about these breakthrough cases. who exactly is getting sick? what are their symptoms? some in the medical community tell us they suspect there are far more infections than we know about because the cdc isn't officially tracking this data. so what does this mean for people who are and are not vaccinated this morning, we investigate >> reporter: in the headlines -- >> covid breakthrough infections >> reporter: from athletes >> an outbreak in the new york

incomes clubhouse. >> reporter: to politicians to everyday americans >> when i tested positive, i was like, what is going on >> reporter: so what is breakthrough covid it's when a person tests positive at least two weeks after being fully vaccinated sometimes without any symptoms other times feeling classic covid symptoms, loss of smell and taste, fever, aches and cough. and nbc news analysis found health departments in 42 states that recorded a total of at least 248,000 breakthrough cases. while the cdc does not track those infections, they do record hospitalizations and deaths from breakthroughs. as of august 17th, the cdc has reported 7,600 cases where a fully vaccinated person with covid was hospitalized and almost 1,600 cases where someone died still, it's a tiny fraction of the 168 million americans who are fully vaccat who was surprised that they got sick we spoke with four people who told us they're among those with

a breakthrough infection did you change your behaviors after getting the shot >> absolutely did. i stopped wearing a mask two weeks after i got my second dose >> i definitely started hanging out with friends more. >> jessica and jack both had the pfizer vaccine adam had moderna and reesa had the johnson & johnson single shot. what were your emotions when you learned you tested positive after being fully vaccinated >> disappointment and frustration. i can't believe this is happening after all of this time we had been so careful it's really just a gut punch >> reporter: they experienced a range of symptoms. >> i started out with a head cold i thought that it was just allergies. >> fever chills fatigue. i had a terrible headache. >> reporter: all four hold us they had body aches and a fever. >> the symptoms only lasted maybe three to four days >> reporter: and two of the four had a bad cough. >> you know, i was quite sick. and my wife was too. >> reporter: while they said they weren't hospitalized nor

did they experience any major respiratory issues, they all said they temporarily lost their sense of smell >> the vaccines work, but don't expect the vaccine to prevent you from getting infected. >> dr. kavita patel is a primary care physician and nbc news contributor. are these breakthrough infections more common than you expected >> it's a little higher than expected, especially what i attribute this to is the delta variant being more infectious. >> reporter: what do you say to people who question the effectiveness of the vaccine if we're seeing so many breakthroughs? >> these vaccines are miracles one, they prevent death. almost all throughout these breakthrough cases, we do not see people dying we do not see people having severe hospitalizations ending up in intensive care units that is an incredible reason to get the vaccine. >> reporter: are there any groups that are more likely to experience a breakthrough inajity of breakthrough reeeingh limited data tend to be older, but we're seeing people of all ages getting breakthrough

infections >> reporter: do any of the vaccines make you more susceptible to a breakthrough infection? >> no. we're seeing breakthroughs in all levels of vaccines in the united states. >> reporter: despite having covid, these four believed the vaccine protected them from getting severely ill >> we're all protected >> i think the more people who get vaccinated, the safer we all will be. >> with a small but growing number of a breakthrough cases, we're seeing some public health officials are urging the cdc to track these infections, similar to what other countries like israel are doing a reminder for all of us to prevent covid spread, go back to basics -- stay outdoors when possible, avoid crowds and keep your distance. and when you have to go inside, wear a double layered mask over your mouth and nose. this is a virus that spreads easily through the air so the less time you spend in close contact with strangers, the lower your risk of getting sick it's important to remind fully vaccinatedthose who are >> people have a lot of questions about breakthrough infections, buvi the vaccine be if you get a breakthrough infection, the chances of

hospitalization and death are dramatically less. >> exactly, as dr. patel said and that's why she thinks it's such a miracle >> thank you let us get another check of the weather from mr. al. >> and we're going to have dr. natalie azar on in thehi trd hour to talk more about this, as well let's show you what we've got. we've got three systems. there's grace south of cuba, henri is just south of bermuda and closer to home right here, we have the remnants of fred making their way up the northeast coast. you can see already a lot of wet weather there. temperatures going to be very warm and humid from southern texas into florida the entire gulf coast, 90s into the central plains with some triple digits and triple digits through the southwest. for today, we've got flood watches and severe storms. the northeast, upper ohio river valley, heavy rain through northern texas into oklahoma and parts of arkansas. fire risk continues out west monsoonal moisture continuing throug good morning, i am

meteorologist kari hall. we're under a micro climate weather alert due to the poor air quality and fire alert for bay means you limit your time outside. temperatures low to mid-80s in south bay. 70s in oakland and palo alto. 60s for san francisco. we'll see the smoke linger through tomorrow and slightly cooler temperatures in time for the weekend. that's your latest weather best time of the morning, right now. >> good morning. >> sheinelle jones in for carson >> we have good stuff for you this morning "america's got talent," you might remember the northwell nurse choir, their golden buzzer audition remember this back in june the group, made up entirely of frontline heros from right here in new york, returned to the stage last night for the show's quarterfinals and they brought the house down with a performance of "you will be

found" from the broadway show "dear evan hansen. listen to this ♪ you are not alone you are not alone ♪ ♪ you are not you are not alone ♪ ♪ you will be found ♪ ♪ you will be found ♪ >> and you're watching these men and women and they're on the front lines. >> yeah. >> they save lives >> right no surprise. the emotional performance really moved the judges in fact, here is what howie mandel had to say. >> this is one where i can't detach the story of who you are from what you do and how you sound because, you know, we hear ad nauseam, we're all in this together we couldn't all be in this together if there weren't people like you saving our lives. that was the beautiful moment. america, you would be crazy if you didn't vote them as one of the seven tonight. >> so powerful

"america's got talent" continues tonight at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. next up, prince charles and princess diana, 40 years after their historic wedding of the century, the former couple is set to return to the spotlight soon on screens big and small. netflix just released a first look at the new cast taking on the royal roles in their upcoming season of "the crown. seen here, elizabeth debicky transformed into princess diana. >> wow just likes her >> the same part she's nominated for. and dominic west steps into the shoes of prince charles. everybody is staring at the picture here formerly played by actor josh o'connot who happens to be emmy nominated for his part in the show's previous season debicky and west are set to portray the couple in the show's final two seasons picking up in the early 90s. if that isn't enough royal content for you, the diana bio pic led by kristen stewart has

announced a premier date the film "spencer" will take place during a period of time when diana decides to leave her marriage with prince charles a lot of people are looking forward to seeing what she can do with that role. next up, dolly parton, the music legend recently sat down with the uk's absolute radio to chat about her upcoming book, new music, and how she got involved with funding research for the covid-19 vaccine here's what she had to say >> when the pandemic came out, i felt led to do something because i knew something bad was on the rise and i just wanted to kind of help with that, so i donated to help with that so mine was a small part, of course, but i probably get a lot more credit than i deserve but i was happy to be part of that >> of course dolly wouldn't be one to take all the credit, but seriously, what can't she do finally, ayesha curry is the latest guest to join jill martin for "today all day." the two sit down the talk about

finding balance and family life with husband steph curry here's a peek. >> what was the biggest silver lining you took from the pandemic >> i genuinely feel like in the midst of the sadness and uncertainty, the underlying blessing is i feel we got time back that we wouldn't have had otherwise. i got to see him be their teacher and i got to see him cook dinner on occasion. it's such a turn-on to see it's probably so inappropriate, but it is. it's refreshing to see that. >> beautiful family there. you can catch their full conversation on "shop today" with jill martin tomorrow at noon, 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. eastern streaming only on "today all day. still ahead, pack your bags inside our celebration of summer we spent today at summer camp counselors look at roker. roker means business >> hey that's it. >> so does hoda kotb but first, a check of your local news

well, good morning, everyone. 8:26. a major development in the long battle to close south bay area. santa clara supervisors last night said they want to close regional. saying leaded fuel was linked to lead in the air. the faa would have to be involved. hundreds of planes would have to find new homes in south county or the peninsula. speaking of air, let's check in with kari this morning.

>> it's so smoky around there. as we look at the camerases around the san francisco area, limit your time outside. temperaturewise, midland areas, had towards the mid-80s. it's breezy to start, over the next couple of days from inland area, mid to upper 80s. san francisco, foggy to start, a little hazy sunshine, and highs reaching into upper 60s. scott. >> more local news coming in half an hour and of course, always at nbcbayarea.com. have a great wednesday. ♪♪

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welcome back, guys 8:30, wednesday morning, the 18th day of august hey. we are not letting it go we are clinging on >> in fact, hoda, you, craig, myself, carson, we all decided to extend summer by spending a day as summer camp counselors. >> that was fun. >> i've actually been a summer camp counselor we will show you how the good times we had led kids acting and we all got to be a little bit like kids in the process >> fun

>> i love that also ahead, this is so cool. inside our studio in a few moments, we're going to have the legendary michael keaton right here in the flesh. i can't wait to chat with him about his most beloved roles his return to one of them, batman and he has not one, but two new movies that we can catch him in. and we have another big name, common coming up in our third hour he's joining us live with a special performance and he has a big announcement that he will reveal exclusively this morning. >> and tomorrow, hoda, you're catching up with one of the best, one of the best ever >> by the way, i had never met hugh jackman until this moment he is a love >> oh, you got to hang out with him? >> i hung out. we went to one of the highest landmarks in new york city he was so cool to everybody. >> he has his armed around you >> i know. i still remember where that was. >> and you didn't seem to be letting him go >> we talked about the roles that made him great. and there's a new movie called reminiscence we'll have all of that for you let's he take a look ahead

to the weekend friday, wet whether through the southeast on into the mississippi river valley hot and humid through texas. fire danger out west saturday, we're watching henri along the northeast new england coast. storms in the southeast and they are in need of rain out west sunday, sunday, look for rip currents and some high surf advisories due to henri moving off the coast. sunny and dry out west summer sunshine from the great lakes good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're waking up to an orange sunrise, unhealthy air quality and more smoke than seen recently. it's going to linger throughout the day. don't expect a lot of sunshine going through the afternoon and this will stay with us to tomorrow as the fires burn basically without containment at this point. we'll see the shift in the wind keeping it smoky for a couple of days while the inland temperatures will reach into upper 80s.

and that is your latest weather. >> al, thank you can we take a moment to say something that needs to be said. >> full disclosure, we are just about at the end of our rope here so we're going to do something unorthodox we'll tell you why we said that. we want to ask our cameraman, bob yager, to put his camera down and join us >> come on he's known as "rope" around here that is his nickname >> get in here >> after 37 years with us, since bryant and jane? >> yes >> rope is retiring. so we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the career of this wonderful man who we adore and explain why we love him so much >> hi, everybody, good morning and welcome to "today. >> if you're a "today" show viewer, you may have seen craig during this affiliate promo last week >> hey, ron, hey, jason. >> but this is who we were seeing peering at us from behind his camera, a place he has held for 37 years bob yager.

his nickname is rope and while the origin of the nickname is a little complex, we all use it with love and rope is so loved >> bob yager, my friend, we call him "rope. you and the rest of the crew, you're the heart and soul of this place >> thank you >> always the quickest with a smile or a joke, which we happily plagiarize >> here is the best thing about that joke. kathie lee stole it from rope. rope, we want you to get your shoutout credit. >> he keeps us smiling through the day. even through the pandemic, he has been by our side, literally. >> al, look who is in the studio can we get a shot of -- >> who >> rope? >> rope! yes! >> and you know what they say. you kid the ones you love. >> what is rope doing? how does rope have fun at work >> the fact is, rope doesn't work so there's that. there you go >> rope loves to celebrate his birthday >> bob yager, 52 today

>> 60 years ago today. >> bob yager >> yes >> our beloved cameraman actually, he loves to celebrate anything >> take a breath, bob. >> pardon me >> but most of all, he loves his wife of 38 years, cathy, their two children, eddie and kelly and three children cherubs who have a special message for their grandpa. >> happy retirement grandpa. >> we love you >> we love you >> no more train rides >> no more train rides >> oh, rope, this is your life >> thank you that was great that was really special. >> you've been on tv more than we have. >> i didn't realize how much time i had >> we're going to miss you >> thank you i'll miss you all, too >> you were just the light of this place and we know you're going to be really happy because you're going to be with your family, right? >> oh, yeah. all the grandkids. >> in fact, they are looking forward to spending so much time

with you, they wanted to kick it off right now. >> they did? >> they did. like, look over there. >> oh. >> cathy >> his mom and dad, al and cathy and son, eddie, his wife, amanda, daughter kelly, her husband, tim we've got them all here. >> oh, they're all here. >> good to see you >> you're the mom and dad responsible this guy, huh? we say thank you hi, cathy. >> oh, it's good to see you guys >> wow >> hello, hi, guys >> did you know how much rope was loved by all of us here? >> now we do he talks about you all the time and you've made him part of your family it's just been such a great experience for him >> a lot of people don't realize, our guys wake up at 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning imagine that for decades how is it going to be to have rope at home all the time? >> uh-oh

>> it's going to be wonderful. >> we are just delighted rope, you bring so much more than just your skills as a camera operator. you bring a lot of light and a lot of heart even on hard days around here. >> you are truly part of this show it's going to be hard to replace you, my friend >> who is going to tell jokes with al? >> half my material comes from rope >> rope, you're known around here for your puns so we wrote a little poem for you, okay? so i have to back up the prompter, please i wrote this this morning and i didn't memorize it so we pulled some strings to write you a little poem. we are afraid that mornings won't be the same without you and frankly, our hearts, they are knots about it that's the third we're happy for your retirement, but we'll miss you it's an emotional tug of war, rope i know you're hanging on every word here so we celebrate you, we say good-bye and yes, we are, finally at the end of our rope >> come here, rope >> we love you

>> oh. >> thank you so much >> see it coming >> oh, look at this. >> rope, i just -- >> rope, turn around don't smell it you've worked here too long to fall for that. >> that's so cool. >> and we're going to send you off into retirement with this fantastic cake so hope you enjoy it >> thank you >> and don't smell it. >> no, i will not. >> we need to get rope a beer. i want to see him slam another beer >> the classic >> plenty of time for that >> there we go >> rope, we adore you to the moon and you're here for another week with everybody >> i am. >> and then it's off >> yes >> can you imagine your first day when your alarm doesn't go off? >> yes you can have it. >> i can't believe i have your kids with us i haven't seen them in so long they're so grown up now. >> do you know that bryant and

jane announced kelly's birth on the air? >> and eddie >> and you've got your gorgeous grandkids. we love you, rope. we're going to enjoy every last minute with you. >> we are. yager family, we bring him back to you >> thanks, guys. thank you so much. >> and you can't send him back >> all right let's hear it for rope, everybody! we have a lot more ahead, including our day taking over summer camp for some good old fashioned fun in the sun but first, this is today -- >> -- on nbc woman: 5, 6, 7, 8. [band playing] a new school year begins. in the classrooms we've prepared... with the students we are devoted to. in concert with the parents and families we partner with every day.

we can't do it without you. we're ready to teach. our number one priority is student safety. we're determined to keep everyone safe. and excited to help all students succeed. lifornia... we're determined to keep everyone safe. man: ...for all of us. dear ms, from day one you've tried to define me. but i never invited you in. it's my life and this is my journey. i've found a way to do things differently with ocrevus, an infusion treatment that's 2-times-a-year. for adults with relapsing or primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, ocrevus is proven effective in reducing relapses in rms and slowing disability progression in rms and ppms. don't take ocrevus if you've had a life-threatening allergic reaction to it, or have hepatitis b. tell your doctor about vaccinations or if you've had hep b, as it could come back. a common side effect of ocrevus is infusion reactions, and some may require hospitalization. it can increase your risk of infections, which can be serious, and may decrease certain types of immunoglobulins. while pml was not reported

in clinical trials, it could happen. an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer, may exist. sorry, ms. you don't get to control every part of me ms can't own us. we are back, 8:41 with our season-long series, summer on "today." >> kids say there's no place like summer camp, and we couldn't agree more. so we decided to pull off a summer camp takeover >> savannah, you had already flown to tokyo

you missed this assignment craig, al, and i got to be counselors for half a day. we led some of our favorite activities so we could have some fun in the sun, too. >> yay it's summer camp are you ready for "today" show camp takeover? all right. get ready to meet your new camp counselors here they come >> i was a camp counselor at a summer camp and i loved every second of it >> i think i'm going to be a good camp counselor because i understand kids because i'm a big kid. >> i wouldn't say that i'm going be the best camp counselor in fact, i'm probably going to be the most mediocre and i'm going to have the most fun >> it's not being the best it's about making sure it's best for the kids that said, i'm the best because i'm the loudest. let's get started! >> so when i was in high school, i played basketball.

and i used to dream about it do you like basketball how much >> so much >> how much? >> so much >> i want my kids to be loud i want them to be the loudest at camp because, of course, the kids at camp hoda are going to have the most fun. >> basketball! >> oh, you guys know how to dribble? you guys got skills. nice yes! off the the backboard. game on, baby. all the way. dribble, dribble, pass it down oh, the blue team stole it uh-oh, it's race to the basket red team has got it. no pushing okay you've got to bounce it. he's going up for it oh let him shoot. yes! >> the blue team has one and the red team has one and this is where the game is ending and i'll tell you why. what is the most important part? >> having fun! ♪

>> raise your hand if you've ever done the potato sack race i'm going to demonstrate we just hop and we hop and whoever hops the fastest to the end wins get in your sacks. campers, are you ready for the potato sack race on your mark, get set -- let's see. ooh, we lost two oh, we lost three. and you're the winner! you're the winner! the lesson is i'm going to leave them with is winning is easy, losing is hard no participation trophies here, kids you can't go easy on the kids. you have to toughen them up. pick a team. pick a team. oh, it's going be like this. okay if i have my way, you're going to lose a lot. nothing builds up a child like tearing them down. tug of war these kids are strong. come on, campers come on!

pull >> welcome to science lab. give yourself a round of applause come on, kids! i love science science was my favorite subject in school because it was so fun. we are going to make elephant toothpaste safety first, right, kids? do we have goggles step one, we're going to take our hydrogen peroxide and pour it in this cylinder here we're going to make our elephant toothpaste blue today. should put more in >> yes >> all right, more blue. let's shake it up. ooh, look, guys. should i drink take a sip >> no! >> no. >> this is the yeast are you ready? three, two, one -- hey watch that whew in three, two, one pour it. and yes! it's that much better when it's fun to learn i think kids want to make

learning fun >> you all look a little hot are you ready to get cooled off? >> yeah! >> all right we're going to do a little relay race i like water slide races because you get to run with reckless abandon and you get to get wet and it's the one time where the adults aren't saying, stop running! no it's run get wet! all right. and they're in the slip and slide. they're running through. whoa, he's sliding showing incredible grit. she's down and back up and through. you guys were fantastic. give yourself a hand who wants to go on the big slip n slide? this is just like being at my house. nobody listens hey, guys. water slide is open. come on! i hope that my campers leave camp with a sense of togetherness >> you know you've done your job if the kids wake up tomorrow and go, man, i can't wait to get

back to camp >> this is like a dream time for kids summer camp is where it's at, baby >> that's so good. >> that was adorable >> fun >> and maybe the kids with craig, not so much >> like a drill sergeant >> that's it >> not having it >> that's going to be the next "today" show franchise, "today" summer camp. >> craig's was kind of like "shawshank redemption. >> by the way, we have a true legend in the house. >> oh. >> right over there. >> yes we are not worthy! >> we're going to talk with michael who has two new movies coming out couldn't be more different he's an action star. yes, he is going to slip back into the bat suit. >> although he looks le bane >> although he looks le bane >> but fikir this guy here is busy

working on our state's recovery. you see he lives in california and by vacationing in california he's supporting our businesses and communities. which means every fruity skewer is like another sweet nail in the rebuilding of our economy. hammer away craftsman. calling all californians. keep your vacation here and help our state get back to work. and please travel responsibly.

we are back with the one, the only, michael keaton with us live in studio 1a. >> he's here he's been busy working on

several new movies, the first called "the protege" hits theaters on friday he plays a suave and mysterious contract killer and let's just say, it's on >> i find you interesting. beautiful, sure, not in an ornamental kind of way it's the interesting part that has me wondering >> wondering what? >> how long after i give you my number will it take you to decide that i'm just as interesting and give me a call >> 27 minutes. >> that long >> oh, yeah. smooth operator. >> love that >> suave >> you are so suave. and also, you can kick some booty in this movie. >> that's a horrible expression, kick some booty. >> it is horrible. why did i say that >> sounds like the bad title of a song from the 70s. >> i should have said kick some butt >> yeah. i just kicked some on the way over here. >> in the habit now? >> yeah.

you can't stop me. >> how did you get ready for this one >> you kind of have to, don't you? there's just no way around it. believe me, if i could get around it, i'd get around it this thing, i don't have my glasses on i'm having a hard time seeincurd of -- it had to be choreographed because you're afraid you're going to hurt someone or someone is going to hurt you and, you know, i don't do this all the time it's fun it's like, you know, the things you wanted to do when you were a little kid now you get to do as a grownup. >> this is like a real action movie with real sets you were in romania. the old villa that used to belong to romania's dictator >> what a swell guy he was >> anyway -- >> ooh >> well, the minute you walked in the studio, there's only one thing that people are saying and roker was saying it. >> suave >> is it any way you could maybe say it >> no. >> please? >> no. how much money do you have on you?

>> is it about that one character? >> give me some of that long green. >> he's got cash >> venmo >> i'm not paypal, it's pay al >> just a little bit he did it! >> only he for >> he did it >> only for you. >> that is love. >> you are going to get back into the -- >> yeah, yeah. that was fun doing that. what was it like >> like riding a bike. >> yeah. it's easy. >> you know you were the best, you know that, right >> dude, what is going to happen when you have the other 79 batmen >> they're not here right now, okay you're here. >> what are you worried about, batman >> we'll tell them the same thing. >> exactly the way to play that. >> i like a shallow group of people >> then you've come to the right place. but you know what i was thinking

about, back in the late 80s when you were first cast as batman, before social media, people kind of like they weren't believers. >> haters. >> they were haters. and now they've been begging you to come back for three domestic aides doesn't that feel good >> it was al that pushed it over the top. he made a call to the studio and it just happened are we surprised by any of that kind of stuff, really? that is kind of the way it works. it was honestly -- i didn't think about it, but when it happened -- i've said this before -- i never understood why it mattered one way or another i didn't understand why people were so upset. and it wasn't that i went, wait, you know, my feelings are hurt it wasn't that at all. i thought, are people really sitting around thinking about this one way or another? but they were.

now, it's huge, it's a thing cul culturally you know, with all the superhero movies on the corporate level alone, it's unbelievable. so then you have to look at it like that and say, okay, i'm in this business where this is a big, big thing and forget about all that and just go do the job at hand what's the job >> we look forward to it we're going to see a lot of you. we have "protege," batman is coming we're out of time but -- we're demonstrating your range this is about 9/11 and it's an incredible story >> and we need to come back d talk about thaant. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love, more adventure, more community. but with my hiv treatment, there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor

and switched to fewer medicines with dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with just 2 medicines in 1 pill, dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you take dofetilide. taking dovato with dofetilide can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while on dovato. don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor, as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant. dovato may harm your unborn baby.

use effective birth control while on dovato. do not breastfeed while taking dovato. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. so much goes into who i am. hiv medicine is one part of it. ask your doctor about dovato-i did. ♪♪ good morning, everyone. it's 8:56. the federal government just announced plans to roll out covid-19 vaccine booster shots starting september 20th. no rush to sign up, you're not eligible for the third shot until eight months after you got your second. for a lot of people that's at

the end of the year at the earliest. this is for people who got pfizer or moderna shot. the government says it doesn't have enough data on the johnson & johnson but it will soon. that news comes as san francisco opens a new testing center located south of market. it will run hundreds of tests every day. our cierra johnson will have that at midday. also at midday, reopening for the first time in a year much more ahead at 11:00.

this isn't our first flip. and sure, some renovations can require a bit of compromis. but, there's no settling here. at floor & decor, she gets to fulfill her vision while i get in-stock products at budget-friendly prices. all in one trip. plus, we get the installation materials we need to get it done right and right on time. it's a win-win. now that's shopping like a pro. explore floor & decor, in person or online at flooranddecor.com. smoke continues to make its way through the bay area. we're tracking the unhealthy conditions in your neighborhood. teachers on the peninsula rally as they head back to class. their demands as school returns.

join us tomorrow at 4:30. emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home.

remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning and welcome to the third hour of "today" on this wednesday, august 18th. i cannot believe we're in the 18th of august. >> welcome for one day wrb nice of you to show up. >> i'm still working, i'm just working in other places. i'm sheer, sheinelle, with dylan. we have a lot to talk about including a historic trip into space.