that's the worst of it right now for the east bay. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us as well. we're going to be back at 7:25 with a live local news update for you. and we're leaving you live with a look at the beautiful sunrise over the bay area. we'll see you soon. good morning. ba good morning back to school opening day for the nation's largest school district. good morning back to school opening day for the nation's largest school district. kids in new york city heading back to class. the school year now officially in session coast to coast with covid raging just ahead, the rising case load for children, the fierceebate over masks and when will the vaccine be available for kids under 12 we'll ask the director of the cdc and the secretary of education when they join us exclusively for a special town hall event live on our plaza taking aim, another tropical storm targeting the gulf coast including parts of the south

left ravaged by ida. millions bracing this morning for heavy rain and widespread flooding al has the latest on the forecast, just ahead never forgotten, america pausing over the weekend to mark 20 years since 9/11. and this morning, the key question, two decades later, are we safer with the war in afghanistan over and the taliban now back in control? richard engle is live on the ground in kabul. all eyes on california, governor gavin newsom making a last-minute push to save his job on the eve of the state's history recall election. what could have a ripple effect on politics nationwide all that, the key hearing in court today in the sexual lawsuit facing prince andrew will he ever face questions in court? we've live with the latest and what a weekend, the nfl

returns with a bang on the first sunday of the season >> wide, wide, wide open and in tennis, young stars daniil medvedev and emma raducanu mark their run at the u.s. open. and both champions join us today, monday, september 13th, 2021 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with savannah guthrie and hoed >> hi, everybody good morning welcome to "today. it is monday morning we're so glad to have you with us >> we're going to get to the reason we are standing here with

all of these wonderful people in a moment they are parents, they're educators. it ended djokovic's question to win all four grand slams that was the men's side. >> on the women's side, a real barn burner. two teen titans facings all for the title for the first time since 1999 we are going to talk with her. meanwhile, storm warnings and watches are in effect this time from nicholas packing a serious flood threat but we are going to begin with the coronavirus delta and other variants are still sweeping across the country. and as students return to in-person learning, including

here in new york city this morning. >> a lot of parents are asking when will kids under 12 be eligible for this vaccine? we're going to focus on that question more with the head on the cdc and the secretary of education. we've got parents here, students, teachers, classrooms across the country, students and teachers and parents are going to have their say. >> they've flown in from all over i know you're from oklahoma. where are you from >> westchester >> close and far, we've got them all. stephanie gosk has more. >> school doors swinging wide open welcoming students back today. this is going to be a big test but unlike last year, families are not going to have a remote option everyone has to go and at elementary schools, at least, the vast majority of students are not vaccinated. this morning, more students are heading back into the classroom. >> i'm really excited. >> in new york city, today is the first day of school.

remote learning is no longer an option for the district's students and some parents are outraged >> it's just not safe. it's absurd to me. >> mandatory masking, three feet away from one another when possible two air purifiers in every classroom. all teachers and staff must be vaccinated vaccines are not mandatory for eligible students. covid cases for kids are rising exponentially with more than 750,000 cases reported in less than a month the fda is working around the clock supporting trials for vaccines for young kids. adviser board member and former fda director scott gottlieb predicting that could come as soon as next month. >> you could potentially have a vaccine available to children age 5 to 11 by halloween >> but for not, the fda is not approving vaccines saying children are not small adults. while pointing to ongoing

pediatric clinical trials. this as president biden faces resistance from some republicans to his vaccine mandates, some threatening legal action >> this is an unprecedented assumption of federal mandate authority. >> somebody shouldn't have to make the choice between keeping their job and getting a jab in the arm. it's just wrong. >> reporter: white house officials doubling down. >> from the beginning, the president and all of us have said we've got to use every lever we have in order to fight this pandemic. >> but vaccine pushback is still spreading. one new york hospital now temporarily shutting down their maternity ward saying they can't safely deliver babies after at least six staffers quit because of a vaccine mandate >> health care workers here in the state of new york have to have that vaccine by september 27th as for the vaccine, for kids, the fda is waiting of the official application from the pharmaceutical companies when they get them, it will be a matter of weeks, not months.

savannah >> stephanie gosk leading us off. thank you. tropical storm nicholas is taking aim at parts of gulf coast. parts of texas, already flood-ravaged louisiana, bracing for days of heavy rain and strong winds al is here with the track and the timing of this one the timing is not good >> yeah. they don't need this it's more of a rain event than the flooding and the winds right now, 60-mile-per-hour winds. it's moving north-northwest at 14 miles per hour. they do have hurricane watches up from freeport, texas, just south of -- and to the east of corpus christi that's because this could intensify to a very low category 1 storm. but whatever it is, it's going to bring a lot of heavy rain, making landfall to the east of corpus christi late monday early tuesday morning and continuing on and starting to rain itself out as it moves its way into mississippi by thursday. but in the meantime, we have storm surges 3 to 5 feet shoreline flooding accompanied by dangerous waves, life

threatening surge and that rip current. and we've got a high risk of flooding port o'connor, texas, to freeport. for new orleans, flash flooding, rainfall amounts anywhere from 7 to inches, but we could have isolated amounts of 20 inches of rain, lake charles, alexandria, a heavy amount into new orleans and houston, as well so flooding will be the thing that we are most worried about which, of course, these areas have been hard hit, especially southwestern louisiana meantime, the nation paused over the weekend to mark 20 years since the terror attacks of 9/11 led by solemn tributes at the site of the world trade center, the pentagon and shanksville, pennsylvania. today was also a significant one in afghanistan where the resulting war just wrapped up two decades later. nbc correspondent richard engle has made his way back into afghanistan. he joins us from kabul this morning.

richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah behind me, especially after the day after the anniversary of 9/11 may be one of the most jarring images and juxtapositions in the world right now. this used to be the u.s. embassy here in kabul. and just below the guard tower is now the taliban flag. it was from this building during the fall of kabul that helicopters were taking off, taking diplomats and staff from here from the center of the city to kabul airport and on out of this country now the embassy building is empty and the city and all of this country are controlled by the taliban. americans this weekend mourned and remembered the tragic events of 9/11. new york's fallen twin towers reborn in light. president biden laying a wreath for the victims at the pentagon

where a flag was unfurled. but it was at the remembrance in shanksville where 20 years ago passengers overpowered hijackers so they couldn't turn another airplane into a missile and kill innocents on the ground that may have resonated the loudest former president bush delivered what many are calling his most profound statement when he appeared to draw a parallel between 9/11 and january 6th, the day the u.s. capitol was stormed. >> there's little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home but then there's disdainful pluralism in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols. they are children of the same foul spirit. >> reporter: but are we safer now? in afghanistan, where osama bin laden plotted 9/11 while under the protection of the taliban,

politics have come full circle after president biden pulled out all u.s. troops this summer, the american-backed afghan government and army collapsed and the taliban quickly swept back into tower. the group's white flag now flies over the presidential palace the taliban have promised to be different, to never host terrorists again, and to even relax some of their strict islamic laws they're allowing girls and women to go to school, including universities and higher education, but separated from men. women are also required to wear veils, common in many of the muslim world and not for now the all covering burkas. but the taliban have made illustrate clear they are the ones who will decide how tolerant they will be and at their pace >> richard, this is the first time you've been able to go back to kabul since the evacuations you've there in all situations, in all circumstances what is it like right now to be

there? what is daily life there >> reporter: well, the city is quite calm and that is surprising i was here during the fall of kabul when the government collapsed, when the president escaped during the evacuation of this embassy then i was here throughout the evacuation, the air lift as people were rushing to the airport and there were great scenes of chaos, great scenes of death whether a suicide bomber attacked the airport during the evacuation now the taliban are firmly in charge and, if anything, they are trying to pull back. they are pulling back from the streets. they are taking some of the weapons that they captured from u.s. forces, they captured from afghan forces, and they're taking them off the streets. they formed a new government there are no women in the government they are trying to make some outreach toward women allowing them to go to higher education no agreement about what the future curriculum would be so we are in a new phase for afghanistan and it feels very much like the u.s. chapter has

ended here, the american chapter of military operations, but it is a brand new chapter starting right now for the 40 million afghan people who are trying to adjust to new life under the taliban and even the taliban don't exactly know how far they want to go, how similar they want to be to the fundamentals who were in power 20 years ago and hosted osama bin laden and had some of the most draconian islamic laws in place on the planet >> richard, thank you very much. in the meantime, the white house is monitoring a new act of defiance from north korea after it successfully testified a new long range cruise missile over the weekend. nbc news correspondent andrea mitchell has more on that. hey, andrea. good morning >> reporter: good morning, hoda. north korea's state-run media says the country's academy of defense science successfully test-fired the missile this weekend. this comes as tensions rise between president biden and si

korea continues to north korean leader kim jong-un overnight, new signs that north korea continues to build up its weapons program, announcing it successfully launched newly developed long range cruise missiles, its first missile test in six months the tests getting special attention because analysts say it seems to show the first north korean cruise missile with nuclear capabilities it is also a sign of the growing arms race between north and south korea, which the united states is watching closely >> our goal continues to be the complete denuclearzation of the korean peninsula >> reporter: north korea's state-run news agency saying the missile test took place saturday and sunday launching from an0 kilometers undisclosed location, flying and hitting targets 1500 kilometers away, falling into the country's territorial waters the country's state-run media also indicating that the nation's leader kim jong-un had not attended the weekend tests, although he has been seen recently, appearing in a

midnight military parade marking the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding, which stirred national reaction with north koreans in hazmat suits and a much thinner kim the united states indo-pacific command releasing a statement overnight saying this activity highlights dprk's developing its military program and the threat it poses to its neighbors and the international community. north korea has been expanding its nuclear and missile program since the last summit between kim and former president trump failed in 2019 it's unclear whether kim achieved his goal for this new program. >> andrea, thank you >> lots more to cover this morning. busy monday morning. tomorrow, a historic recall election in california craig has that one >> savannah, hoda, good morning. good morning to you, as well voters will be deciding if governor gavin newsome should be removed from office, an effort that gained ground as the state took a hard hit from the

pandemic if he is re-called, more than 40 candidates are vying to lead the state. miguel almaguer is in los angeles with more on what's at stake. >> reporter: good morning. this special election could make gavin newsome just the third governor in u.s. history to be removed from office through a recall now with president biden expected to join him on the campaign trail later today democrats are hoping to garner enough voters to keep the state in their control this morning, all eyes in politics turning to the recall fighting california, where both democrats and republicans are previewing their playbooks for the next national election season >> reject this effort by voting no on this republican-back recall >> reporter: governor newsome has the democratic heavyweights including president biden who is expected to join him later today. while his republican opponents

have started to rage baseless allegations, the recall will decide if newsome keeps his job. the ballot asks two questions. first, should governor newsome be kept or removed from office second, if newsome is removed, who should replace him if more than 50% of voters choose to remove him, the candidate with the most votes will become california's new governor this predates the pandemic while his initial handling of the covid crisis garnered praise from health experts, a second surge, and the imposition of stay-at-home orders which shuttered businesses, bolstered critics. have you made missteps >> at the end of the day, we did what we thought was right and we did what the science told us was the most effective nonpharmaceutical option. >> reporter: on the list of 46 replacements, olympian and reality tv star caitlyn jenner,

and the front-runner, koefsh radio talk show host larry elelde who has promised to roll back many of newsome's rules. >> what i'm opposed to are vaccine mandates and face mask mandates >> reporter: the special election could lead to california's second gubernatorial recall the first was in 2003 when one was replaced by around schwarzenegger so far, democrats have returned more than half of the over 7 million early ballots, but election day could bring a slew of republican voters who are more likely to vote in person and make the recall a reality. recent polls suggest governor newsome will likely survive this recall election, but this election will be all about voter turnout, specifically if enough democrats in this blue state head to the polls. craig, back to you >> miguel, thank you let's head back to al and get the rest of the forecast what are you looking at? >> we see strong storms firing

up in the plains we have warm and sunny weather throughout the mid-atlantic states into the southeast and excessive heat out west. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds . securian financial offers insurance, investment and retirement solutions. that give you the confidence to enjoy the here and now. so you can make every moment count. [sfx] mnemonic >> good monday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. looking at our air quality it will be moderate as we do have new fires burning to the north of the bay area, but it does look good for the south bay. watching drifts of smoke and also a hazy sky coming in today as our temperatures reach into the mid 90s for this afternoon for the inland east bay.

san raphael headed up to 88 and 86 in san jose. it's going to be a hot start to the week but then cooling down by the weekend. >> coincidence, tropical storm nicholas and my nicholas's first day of senior year >> back to school day for nick roker. >> thanks, al. still ahead, today's first hearing in the sexual assault lawsuit against prince andrew brought by a woman who claims they met through jeffrey epstein. we're live with what's at stake for the royal and his accuser. plus, a historic making weekend in tennis, led by 18-year-old emma raducanu. she will join us to celebrate her record setting run but first, this is "today" on

still ahead, we're going the tackle the many questions that parents and students have about still ahead many questions the new school year. >> a big group on the plaza with

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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. . it is 7:26. good morning. i'm laura garcia. here's today's top stories including the countdown to the recall special election. >> i'm bob redell with one day left before the recall election, recent polling suggests governor gavin newsom should survive this effort to have them removed from office. take a look at your tv screen. tracking from uc berkeley shows 60% of people surveyed say newsom should stay in office. that would be a no on the vote. 38% want him removed, that would be a yes. the rest 1% undecided. i'm thom jensen in san francisco. dr. anthony fauci says he now

supports vaccine mandates for air travel and education and made the comments on the podcast skim. these come just after president biden announced his own vaccine mandates would affect 100 million american workers. san francisco instituted vaccine mandates affecting restaurants, bars and other businesses where masks will likely come off and so did berkeley on friday. nationwide, infectious rates are down 10% since similar mandates went in other cities and other states across the country. taking a look at the forecast with meteorologist kari hall who has a look at our forecast. smoky skies today? >> it will be hazy with the moderate air quality expected today. some of our spots inland towards the low to mid 90s for today and tomorrow. still a hot start to the week but then cooling down as the week goes on. look at the weekend. we'll see more clouds, highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s and san francisco we'll go from the low 70s to the low 60s.

laura. >> thank you. thank you for joining us as well. another local news update in a half hour. hope to see you then. back to the "today" show.

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7:30 now it's a big monday morning. check out our plaza. we are having a town hall, a coronavirus in the classroom town hall. these lovely faces are teachers, they're educators, they're parents, and students are joining, as well we are going to listen to all of their questions and concerns and guess who is going to answer them we have the director of the cdc and the secretary of education we all have questions. >> i was just talking to the secretary of education in the green room why not take advantage

>> your questions, parents' questions, teachers, educators, everybody is going to get their moment we'll have that town hall just ahead. headlines at 7:30, democratic senator joe manchin says he does not support a bill for social and environmental spending yesterday on "meet the press," manchin told chuck the price tag is too high and there's no reason to rush it through. >> i'm just saying we should be looking at everything and we're not. we don't have the need to rush into this and get to it in one week or someone will fall through the cracks >> democrats have no path to pass that budget bill without manchin's vote in the senate that is split 50/50. at least 50 people were hurt yesterday after an explosion rocked an apartment building in atlanta. the drone video shows the scale of destruction four people taken to the hospital, dozens of others displaced. the cause of that explosion is still under investigation this morning, but residents do say there was a strong smell of gas in the area.

turning to the nfl now and week one of "sunday night football." the los angeles rams only needing three plays to get on the scoreboard take a look. >> rolling left. the fake he's going to air it out deep downfield, has a man open and it's caught at the 15 yard line by van jefferson. and he gets up and rumbles to the end zone >> rumble he did that was the new rams quarterback matthew stafford finding van jefferson for the touchdown pass l.a. taking an early look owed the bears and they never looked back they won it, 34-14 stafford with three td tosses in his debut. next hour, we have a special story tied to those rams and how they're using a shared love of football to help kids in their community. but first, we have a lot more news to get to, including prince andrew's legal battle it's back in the spotlight

>> the first hearing on the sex abuse lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was 17 years old at the time is being held in the courtroom today. we will break down what we expect to happen in just a moment but first, kelly cobiella is following the latest from buckingham palace. good morning >> reporter: good morning to you. both sides have a lot riding on this pretrial hearing today. it's being held by teleconference in front of a new york judge and the judge essentially has to decide whether enough effort has been made to serve prince andrew with notice that he's being sued civilly for sexual assault this morning, prince andrew back in scotland visiting his mother, the queen. in these photos seen leaving his royal residence in windsor with his ex-wife, sarah ferguson. lawyers for the accuser say he's trying to evade the civil suit they filed against him in court documents, they say they've tried serving prince andrew and his lawyers by multiple methods, including

email, fedex, and in person twice on the private grounds of windsor. her lawyers say the second time the police officer allowed the process server to leave the summons and complaint with him at the main gates of the property and stated that he would forward both to prince andrew's legal team. a spokesperson for the senior royal wouldn't comment, but in a letter to the court, the blackfords, who say they represent andrew in certain uk matters, but not the civil case, claim jouffre's lawyers have made several public attempts at irregular service calling the case complex, adding the lawsuit may not be viable. giuffre, the long time accuser of jeffrey epstein, is suing prince andrew in u.s. federal court. the civil lawsuit filed last month under the child victims ac accuses prince andrew of

touching her in an offensive and sexual matter when she was just 17 years old prince andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations telling the bbc in 2019 -- >> i have no recollection of ever meeting this lady none whatsoever. >> reporter: in the same interview, he suggested this photo at gislene maxwell's house in london was doctored saying -- >> i do not remember anything. >> giuffre told maxwell first introduced her to prince andrew the night that photo was taken >> i couldn't believe it >> prince andrew, of course, denies that this ever happened >> he's going to keep denying that it ever happened, but he knows the truth. >> reporter: and in a statement in august, giuffre said i am holding prince andrew accountable for what he did to me the powerful and rich are not exempt from being accountable for their actions. if the judge rules in favor of

giuffre and her lawyers, prince andrew would have to respond to that civil lawsuit withi 21 days of being serve and that would put the deadline just few days away, this friday, september 17th savannah >> kelly, thank you very much. joining us now, a former federal and state prosecutor here in new york tally, good morning and welcome. it's good to see you >> thank you good to see you. >> so the argument is about whether the process papers were served on the prince but beyond the technical argument, are they going to be able to make prince andrew answer in a new york courtroom >> that remains to be seen but i think you're right, today is about technicalities. i don't think it's going to be an effective legal strategy for him to hide at his mother's castle for too much longer and say you can't catch me we're going to get past this >> stalling tactic was i properly served with process? did i get notice is it fair is it not fair he certainly is aware they have

to meet the technical requirements, but is stalling a decent legal strategy? >> i think it is not even if they have not met the legal requirements, and i believe that they have, then i expect the judge to instruct her lawyers on how to go ahead and do that. so i think he is going to be served and the case is going to start. he can, then, of course continue to stonewall in which case a default judgment will be entered against him. >> before we get to that, if he gets in the case, let's say it goes forward, he was properly served, the case can start as a practical matter, what does that mean? can he be forced to answer questions under oath in a deposition >> there is a court order now saying after he is served, he will have three weeks to answer her allegations, right and if he does not do that, then it's really up to the court to

say i can make a judgment now and maybe to ask her or him and he might continue not to answer for more information particularly so the court can make a decision about damages. she's asked for money damages, but she hasn't specified the amount >> finally, i know these are complex issues, but does he have an argument that he's immune he is the son of the queen is there a sovereign immunity issue here >> yeah. well, those are arguments that he has to come to court to make. as you know, he hasn't even entered an appearance. he doesn't have any lawyers representing him this is going to be a one-way argument today so all of that is something that he would have to actually recognize the court, you know, first, in order to be able to talk about and be part of the litigation >> this is the very first step thank you so much. nice to have you with us over to you. up next, we're going to turn our attention to tennis and one on the youngest grand slam champions ever >> get ready to fall in love 18-year-old emma raducanu wowed the u.s. open crowd.

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raducanu is in the spotlight >> she became the first british person in 53 years to win the u.s. open. that's not the only way she made history. but first, much more on a remarkable weekend at the u.s. open the u.s. open closing in a stunning fashion 18-year-old emma raducanu and 25-year-old daniil medvedev both taking home their first grand slam titles. in his third grand slam final, medvedev controlling every set against the favored and ranked number one novak djokovic. the upset victory costing djokovic his grand slam dream of winning four in one season >> what kind of a head game did you have to play with yourself >> it was really crazy i knew that i had to stay focused on myself. >> medvedev speaking out about his win with us earlier this morning. >> you and novak shared a lovely moment at the net right after. >> for me, it's just an inspiration to see a person like

this >> on the women's side, emma raducanu swept through the open without losing a set and defeating fellow sensation leylah fernandez in the final. the british teenager becoming the first qualifier ever to win a grand slam title >> focussing on what i had to and the process and mind-set really helped. >> her triumph setting off a celebration. family and friends erupting in cheers and even the squeeze braising her remarkable achievements. a rising star with an inspiring new record on and off the court. and we are so thrilled to be joined right now by emma raducanu your 2021 u.s. open champion good morning, and congratulations. >> hi. morning. thank you very much. >> i just imagine you making your u.s. open plans a few weeks ago. you weren't even in the main

draw you had to play three qualifying matches to even get into it. was there any thought in your mind, even teenie tiny maybe i'll come home the u.s. each champion >> no, not at all. three weeks ago, i did not think i would last the whole trip. i thought i would be home in a week after qualifying. but i've just been doing my best to take care of every single day individually and to the best of my abilities and three weeks later, the time has flown and i was holding the trophy at the end. but, yeah, it was the best time of my life, yeah >> before the u.s. open, before wimbledon, i think the most people you said you played in front of was 100 people. i don't know if you heard miss guthrie, but she was screaming for you in the audience. before you walked out on the court, were your nerves out of control or were you calm >> i think before the match,

there were a little bit of prematch nerves in terms of something just didn't feel quite 100% and i couldn't quite put my finger on it it's just a weird feeling. but i think that's part of the build up and everything. but as soon as i got out on to court and was just doing what i've done 100 times before, playing and just focussing on the point and tactics and not trying to get caught up in anything, the occasion, i felt completely normal and it was a great, level match because leylah played incredible tennis and we were literally throwing everything at each other i'm just very proud to have come through some tough moments at the end, especially. >> she's an amazing player, too. i have a feeling you guys meet again on the court what's your plan now the end of tennis season, it's the longest season who have you heard from besides the queen and duchess kate >> yeah.

i mean, i was very, very honored to have received a note from her majesty and the duchess. so i am, yeah, very grateful i have got some congratulations, but i haven't really checked my phone yet still. i'm still just trying to really let this moment sink in. and i had a really nice night with my team the night of the final and, yeah, we just discussed and reflected upon an incredible three weeks >> lastly, emma, what about mom and dad? i know they didn't make the trip, but how proud is your dad? >> yeah. they're definitely proud and happy. they're my toughest critics. and so hard to please. so, yeah, i got them this time, though >> you sure did. you didn't even drop one set the whole time emma, you made history, first ever first ever to go through qualis and make it all the way to the finals so your name is in the history book are you going to pack it with you?

do you send it fedex does it sit with you on the plane on the way home? >> that's coming with me right by my side i'm not checking it in any sort of luggage i can't believe i got to bring it home. i got to see my name etched on the wall with the others >> congratulations, emma we're super proud of you that's great >> thank you very much >> she's delightful. >> i know. a star is born >> and that accent >> and leylah, too >> to see that in person must have been something else but to see that in person with the people sitting next to you -- >> oh! who is that? >> okay, whatever, don't tell. we know bradley cooper is the guy on the right the guy next to the guy between savannah and bradley cooper, let's play the game. who is that man? >> i don't know. >> you do know

you were right there with me >> i didn't know until five seconds ago. >> neither did i >> neither did my mom. it's brad pitt, just how do you do there's henry and jenna, my husband, mike. al and deborah right behind us >> who is behind you, is that hugh jackman >> no. that's a famous hockey player. >> henrik lundqvist, the hockey player >> gayle king. >> rami malik was way over there. oh, my gosh. it was ridiculous. i was like forrest gump. this isn't even a real picture i photo shopped myself in there. >> good seats. we had them. >> and free m&ms >> a trophy for free seats >> trying to play it cool with brad >> i wasn't very cool. i was. i was trying to give him space >> jenna made you switch so you could sit next to him. >> jenna horned in on my seat later. >> she had to. >> mr. roker good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're going to see hazy skies

moving in today and moderate air quality for our microclimates in the south bay but we will see some drifts of smoke coming in due to the fires that are burning to our north. temperatures heating up today our inland valleys into the low to mid 90s. we'll do it all over again tomorrow but then we start a coalition trend by the end of the week. it's looking so much better by friday into the weekend. and we could also see some showers just to our north. weather. guys still ahead, a remarkable youth football program making a huge difference and getting a surprise boost from the l.a. rams but first, these messages. capital one shopping. (in s.l.j. voice) what's in your wallet? some days, you just don't have it. not my uncle, though. he's taking trulicity for his type 2 diabetes and now,

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don't wait. talk to your child's doctor about hpv vaccination today. a very good morning to you. it is 7:56. monday morning. i'm laura garcia. here's a look at what's happening now. >> i'm bob redell with just one day left before the recall election, recent polling suggests that governor gavin newsom should survive this effort to have him removed from office. take a look at your tv screen tracking from uc berkeley 60% of people surveyed say newsom should stay in office, a no on the vote. 38% want him removed, that would be a yes. the rest 1% undecided. >> kari has a look at our microclimate forecast for today. a warm one on tap. >> it's going to heat up for the inland areas and it's also going to look hazy today with some of the smoke drifting into parts of the north bay. the rest of the bay area does see good to moderate air quality

if just slightly hotter tomorrow before we start a cooling trend by the end of the week. take a look at the a weekend forecast, highs in our valleys reaching in the mid 70s, san francisco from the low 70s to 60 and see mist and drizzle in time for the weekend. but, of course, we continue to watch the air quality at times it will be smoky, especially as that smoke drifts a little bit farther up especially for the north bay with new fires burning. we'll continue to keep you updated on that. laura. >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us as well. we'll be back with another local news update in a half hour. back to the "today" show. join us for our midday news at 11:00 as well.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, a special live even as kids all across the country head back to class >> i'm definitely a little anxious and nervous about it >> we're here with the most important questions and the essential answers for success and safety in schools. cdc director dr. rochelle walensky and secretary of education dr. miguel cardona join us live tackling the topics >> we want our students to feel like they're safe. >> and students with the key

issues everyone should know. a critical conversation to help kids, parents, educators thrive this year.> and good september 13, 2021 >> good morning, everyone. welcome back to "today." it's monday morning. we're eager to get outside and kick off our one of a kind town hall event focusing on your questions and concerns as we kick off a new school year >> we're going to give them parents, teachers, educators a chance to weigh in dr. walensky, dr. miguel cardona, secretary of education, they are here to answer those questions. >> and we're also fanned out the at schools all across the country to give students their say, as well so we'll hear from them coming up, as well. >> lots to chew over on the subject of schools first, the nation's largest school system here in new york is among those welcoming students back today.

along with excitement, there's great anxiety over the spread of the delta variant. stephanie gosk joins us live with the latest on that. good morning >> reporter: good morning, savannah i'm outside an elementary school here in manhattan. we can feel the excitement growing. we have parents and teachers, balloons out, excited to welcome everyone back. unlike last year during the pandemic, when families were allowed the remote option, there is no remote option here in new york city. so for the roughly 1 million kids, they have to go back they say now inside the schools they've got more ventilation, they have air purifiers, kids have to wear masks and they'll keep that three feet of distancing when possible this comes as there's growing pushback across the country. they're against mask mandates. a hospital had to turn away maternity patients due to a lack of staff as for the approval for vaccine

for kids ages 5 and 11, the fda is waiting on the official applications from pharmaceutical companies. when they get them, it will be a matter of weeks, not months. savannah >> thank you very much parts of the gulf coast were under a hurricane watch last night as tropical storm nicholas moved closer to texas and louisiana. the storm bringing deluge to areas already seen so much flooding this season houston and galveston, they're bracing for some of the heaviest downpours. the national hurricane center is also warning of potentially life threatening storm surges along the cove we're going to get to al's forecast in just a little bit. there's a great boost from over the weekend >> let's go, let's go. the most breathtaking place in college football this weekend did not take place on the field. all eyes in hard rock stadium were on a cat dangling from the upper deck it's important to note the cat you're about to see is okay.

>> oh, my -- ooh this is the boost? >> fortunately, a couple sitting below saw the cat. they grabbed an american flag from the railing they used it look, broke the animal's fall. the entire stadium erupted in cheers look, we can all get along that couple with the flag, they're season ticket holder they bring that cat to every single game. >> that cat has eight left >> do people usually bring cats to sporting events >> not normal people okay coming up next, we're going to kick off our town hall with the cdc director and the secretary of education we'll get it started right after that parents from across the country are here to tackle the questions. dan: yeah i know, it's just...hello? claire, what? fire? ...or always road tripping on empty dan... rashida: i told you this would happen. dan: the light was not even on.

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welcome back, guys we made our way out to our plaza. we are joined by dr. rochelle walensky, director of the cdc, and dr. miguel cardona, the secretary of education >> and we're going to tackle the questions surrounding the concerns facing the new school year but first, let's get a check of the weather. you know about nicholas making its way up the texas coast. we're looking at strong storms firing up stretching from the upper midwest later on into the northeast. sunshine through the pacific northwest. that's what's goin

al, thank you. now to the official start of the coronavirus in the classroom town hall. the pandemic has disrupted every aspect of life and for kids a radical shift in the way they learn and play >> the learning structure transformed to virtual with varying degrees of success now, a long 18 months later, schools are reopening their

doors. with the pandemic still rage along with the battle over vaccines and masks, back to normal is a far cry. the first day of school can be stressful in the best of circumstances. the first day of school in a global pandemic, a mixed bag of emotions >> i'm definitely a little anxious about it and i'm nervous. >> it's taken a lot getting used to seeing crowds of people again. >> i missed you in school in my pjs, but it's good to see my friends again. >> more than 50 million k through 12 students are returning to the classroom the first time back for many after a year and a half of virtual learning but the delta variant is casting a shadow over the start of the school year. covid cases in children and teens are five times higher than they were in june. more than 1,000 schools are back to online learning because of outbreaks. and as the pandemic rages on, so does the debate over keeping our children safe. the president is challenging states to require vaccines for

eligible students and all school employees. >> vaccination requirements in schools are nothing new. they work. >> first on board, the los angeles unified school district. the nation's second largest public school system serving 600,000 students says all kids 12 and up must be vaccinated by the new year but the thorny issues dividing parents and teachers, masks. >> no more masks >> one school of thought - >> let the parents make the decisions. let the kids breathe >> and the other >> these masks are not a symbol of anything other than the prevention and protection. >> reporter: the cdc recommends that all schools require maces regardless of vaccination status 55% of americans support that recommendation 41% do not so far, 16 states have adopted a school mask mandate and the nine states that originally banned them are facing heavy opposition

in court a tale of two mandates, forcing schools to pivot in extraordinary ways for an unpredictable year ahead >> that sets the table and many concerns being voiced by parents, teachers and students happy to have our two guests who know a thing or two about covid safety in the classroom. cdc director dr. rochelle walensky and dr. miguel cardona, secretary of education we want to get to everybody's questions. let me start with you. dr. walensky, kids under 12, when is that vaccine coming? >> thank you so much so glad to be here with all of you. we're waiting for the companies to submit the data to the fda. we're anticipating that will happen in the fall we we will look at that data from the fda, from the cdc, with the urgency we all feel for by getting our kids vaccinated and we're hoping by the end of the year >> what is the hold up, though here we fast tracked a vaccine

in nine months, which is incredible for the rest of us, but it seems to be taking longer for kids the kids are vulnerable. now we have the delta variant. are you frustrated by that is there any way to kind of push this along >> so we want to move quickly. we anticipate moving quickly but we also want to have the efficacy data and the safety data that fda will require so that we know as soon as it is available that it will be -- the science, the safety and efficacy to make sure it is the right thing for kids >> i know a lot of parents wonder, what is this about covid? how dangerous is it for my child? for the vast majority of the pandemic, children have been fortunate, they haven't been as affected, but that has change. with the delta variant, there's been explosive growth of pediatric cases. nearly 27% of all cases last week were children maybe that's the return to school but what about this? but from june to august, pediatric hospitalizations increased five fold. so my question to you is what does the data show is the delta variant more dangerous to kids than the original variant of the virus?

is it more dangerous or is it simply more transmissible? >> well, i would say dangerous is more transmissible. if it is more transmissible, we have more kids with disease, more kids with symptomatic disease, and more kids ending up in the hospital. we haven't seen yet any data to suggest that if you get the delta variant it's more severe in a given person, but we are seeing more disease as the virus is an opportunist. it will go where places and people are not vaccinated. the best things we can do for our kids is surround them by people who are vaccinated when they become eligible to be vaccinated >> the president earlier on said he did not believe in vaccine mandates i want to play him in december 2020 >> no, i do not think it should be mandatory i wouldn't demand it be mandatory. >> but now of course that has changed. the administration is announce an array of rules to make it mandatory. what changed and are you concerned that is going to harden vaccine

hesitancy? >> you know, right now, i'm really enthusiastic about this six-point plan the plan is to get more people vaccinated, to keep people out of the hospital, to keep people from dieing, to keep our kids in school, to keep our economy up and running. and i would say that the president is working with these vaccine mandates, mandating vaccinations for over 100 million workers to turn the corner >> have you given up on persuasion now it's you've got to do it >> i'm all in on any way we can get people the information they need to get vaccinated >> dr. cardona, in los angeles, they made it mandatory if you are 12 or older and want to go to school, you must get the vaccine. i think across the country the number of eligible kids who have got continue vaccine is about 50%. is it time to say it should be may mandated in all school districts around the country >> i'm glad to see the strategy they're taking to get kids back in school. today is the first day of school in new york. there's excitement there's a buzz

and it's our responsibility to make sure that students across the country don't have to were go through disruption again. in those places where they are doing vaccine mandate, i support their efforts to get the students in. >> should more schools be going that way >> those are local decisions, but yes, if we're seeing the vaccines work, they're our best tool, we should. >> these headlines grab me, they took my breath away. 13 unvaccinated miami dade educators have died of covid since the start of the school year a texas school district closed all schools after two teachers died one was unvaccinated and the other has not disclosed. so president biden essentially issued a mandate for some teachers and educators to be vaccinated that mandate came kind of after school was already in session. is that too late and should he right now go further than that >> we were waiting for the fda to approve it. we know it works and we know that it's helpful to keep our schools open

it's unfortunate that we lost educators and students had to experience that. we know what works we should use those tools. >> as a parent, i would like to know if the teacher teaching my child is vaccinated. that would make me feel better if i knew that for sure. do you think that is something teachers need to disclose? >> districts across the country now are putting in testing mandates if they don't have information about whether the teacher is vaccinated or not and i think that's a step forward to make sure we're protecting our students, we're protecting our staff and we have school environments reducing the spread of covid. what we're finding is covid rates in schools are mirrors of what's happening in the community. we need to do our part to lower community spread so our schools can stay open. >> stand by. we're going to throw it over to craig. a bunch of teachers have flown out, educators from across the country. they want to share their perspective. they have questions, too >> lots of questions we mentioned miami-dade. we have a teacher here, sebastian berger from cutler bay, florida, just outside miami dade

a father of three, also a high school teacher you teach business and social studies. you have a question about the covid finish line, right >> yes thank you. good morning i have been a teacher in miami-dade county public school seasonal for 19 years, the biggest in our state our students, parents and staff are dealing can covid fatigue and can't wait until all of our students return to learning environment without all the extra precautions. what is the metric that will be used to determine when to end covid-19 restrictions in schools? >> thank you for what you're doing for our children i think what we really need to see is very high vaccination rates, very low rates of disease in the community and then we can start peeling back these precaution measures so that schools can get back to normal but we all need to lean in and unify towards that common goal over the year ahead. >> mr. berger, thank you right next to mr. berger, we have ari abraham, high school

english teacher south side of chicago. you have a question for secretary cardona about funding and resources. >> good morning. i've been teaching in chicago for six years. my school is majority black and majority unvaccinated. so i'm wondering how is the american rescue plan money for schools being monitored, because chicago public schools received $2 billion and i'm wondering how it's being spent because we're not seeing the impact of it in our schools. >> thank you for that question thank you for the work that you do, and i hope you have an awesome school year ahead. it's really important that the american rescue plan funds which are intended to safely reopen schools and address some of the disparities that we know exist in education even before the pandemic, so we asked states to submit a plan on how they're focussing on equity and how they're focussing on stakeholder engagement because it's really important that we work with our families, work with our educators to get it doneork clo

and with districts if we're finding that the funds are not getting into the when those plans are approved, they get the other allotment of funds. and we work closely with states and with districts if we're finding that the funds are not getting into the classrooms where they belong. you have a lot of work to do the resources are there. the president was very clear and congress was very clear. we need to support our educators and you should be seeing the funds in the classroom >> one more, mackenzy came in all the way from washington state yet. you have another question for the secretary about help for our youngest students. >> yes good morning i'm a kindergarten teacher of four years in lake stevens, washington i currently have 24 students in the classroom and they have to be three feet apart at all times, which as you can imagine is quite difficult with those young kiddos how can we support smaller class sizes to ensure that these young minds get the individual attention they need to grow and develop, especially after a year filled with isolation? >> kindergarten teachers are special. you are special. thank you for your service

it is important to recognize that with the american rescue plan and other funds we have to reimagine education. we have to look at it and take bold steps to make the experience for our students different than years past. that means after a pandemic, being able to personalize instruction more to meet the students where they are, which includes smaller class size, a better ratio of adults to students, so we're strongly encouraging. we have handbooks, a return to school road map. we're giving suggestions and most importantly, we're lifting up best examples across the country where states are being bold and districts are being bold so make sure that we're giving the students a better experience than ever before >> thank you for your work >> thank you to our teachers we want to let parents get in here carson has some parents who have questions. >> this is anna draft from maryland and she has a question about teacher vaccinations >> good morning. i am a parent.

i have my student here who is going into high school, her first year of high school. my concern is both schools that have not mandated vaccines for their employees, given the hippa laws, the confusion around the hippa laws, how can we as parent be assured that our children's teachers are vaccinated so they can go back to school safely >> welcome to new york it's good to see you good to see your daughter, your student. we are working closely with the states we will encourage and as the president has encouraged vaccination mandates for workers, to encourage the states to scale up their vaccination mandates i would encourage you to come to the cdc website where we have a list of questions that parents can ask advocating for your students, advocating for your students so you can ask the questions of your school administration and say this is what the guidance says how can we be assured you're going to follow? >> we're just getting started.

we have parents, teachers and the students they will be with us in just a moment but first, a check off your local news, your weather and these messages these messages good morning to you. it is 8:26. i am kris sanchez. the end of the road may be coming for extended dining in downtown palo alto. happening today, council members will decide whether to reopen california street and university avenue to traffic starting september 30th. the street closure was first implemented in the pandemic as you know, but now with the delta variant, some business owners are keen to keep the streets closed so they can expand business outside. other businesses say they don't feel the same way, saying the street closure is eating up all of the parking and keeping

customers away. we want to get to meteorologist kari hall. we could have smoke in the forecast. >> yeah, we have a hazy sky today. moderate air quality in much of the bay area. south bay, looks good for much of the morning and into the afternoon. as temperatures heat up, inland areas head to low to mid 90s today and tomorrow. we will start a cooling trend. it will feel so much better by end of the week. upper 70s in some of the warmest spots inland. we'll see mid 70s throughout the weekend. >> thank you, kari. more local news in just a half hour. hope you have a great morning.

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last week, jimmy get the competition going! this week, he's in studio with kendall jenner and ben plat and jennifer aniston and amy adams, and tonight, andrew garfield we are back. boy, what a beautiful monday morning. perfect weather for the first day of school in new york an a perfect day for our coronavirus in the classroom town hall. it's been great so far >> we're going to continue that conversation dr. rochelle walensky of the cdc and dr. miguel cardona, secretary of education >> we also have reporters from

nbc stations and affiliates with us at schools all across the country to help us give students their say. >> and by the way, if you're heading out the door, we're streaming this entire town hall on today all day, as well. we have new digital series in collaboration with the national pta. yeah thanks for being here. partnership with the national pta and the walton family foundation answering even more of your questions. it's called back to school in america making the grade and he can check that out at today.com. >> before we go any further, mr. roker. thanks for the good day today, by the way >> we have more coming up on the third hour, too. of our town hall coming up, let's show what we've got happening for your week ahead. nicholas causing big problems along the gulf storms through the central plains as we go into the midweek period, a flood rick continues down through the lower gulf. we're looking for a real midwest in the northeast hot and dry out west and then by friday, we spec some spotty showers out and to the

northeast. a lot of wet weather still along the gulf and some welcome rain, finally, in the p good morning. i am meteorologist kari hall. we're going to see temperatures in the inland valleys heat up to the low to mid 90s today. it will be a hot start to the week. it will cool off as the week goes along. looking at temperatures for the weekend in the mid to upper 70s. that's going to be nice. san francisco will see low 70s today, much more sunshine. then by thursday into friday, mist in the forecast. mist and drizzle. chilean cloudy heading into the weekend. >> and that is your latest weather. coming up coming up next, our coronavirus town hall, we'll give more parents and student the floor. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back with more of our coronavirus in the classroom town hall event. we have dr. rochelle walensky here with us along with dr. miguel cardona, secretary of education. questions from teachers and parents all morning long >> next up is a video question from sharon. sharon is a mom of four from san diego county and she's got a question about masks. watch the tape >> i don't coparent with the government and i'm seeing how my kids' mental health, social development, and academic progress are being harmed by forced masking now that adults have had the opportunity to be vaccinated if they choose, when are parents' and students' voices going to be taken into account to come up with a plan that allows for mask choice >> what say you? there's a parent reflecting views that we've seen. >> two-thirds of people across the country agree with mask mandates

we all want our children to be safe i've visited 17 states i've talked with students directly students are not as concerned about the masks as adults are. they want to get to their games after school, see their friends. they know if they're not masked there's a greater likelihood that schools are going to be dig rupted all elementary age students don't have vaccines. we have to keep them in mind, too. >> is there anything from a medical standpoint that the masks cause the students in terms of disruption of learning or disruption of breathing is there anything like that out there that the parents should have a real worry about? >> we have not seen any science that defends that point of view. what i can say is we started to say even this data from los angeles county, that rates in children are 3 1/2 times higher in areas that have not practiced the mitigation strategies to those that are so with the purpose of getting our kids in schools, having them

be safe, masks are the way to go >> danielle flew all the way in from california and has a question from the second about keeping things respectful. >> my question is with so much discourse, division and disagreements surrounding the mask mandates, vaccination requirements, the safety measures that schools are taking, how can we regain and maintain a healthy culture in the classroom among school staff and with our parents and families in the school community? >> that's a great question and it's on the mind of teachers across the country education is a unifier we all want the best for our kids we all do. and i'm excited that getting back to school, we can get back to the business of teaching and learning and making sure that our schools are safe communities for the families and their students and i'm confident that we're going to do that this is difficult work, reopening schools in the midst of a pandemic. but i think if we as educators model how to do it respectfully, i think our kids will be better off for it >> a lot of people will go to these school board meetings and

you see brawls breaking out, but you're right something we can all get together on. we're going to hear from the group at the center of it all, our students >> and we've gotten help from our nbc affiliates we're going to start out in the. give u midwest. we have jodi, who-13 in des moines she's in the library of the prairie view school. give us the lay of the land there and we would love to hear from some of your students there. >> yeah, of course hi, savannah the number of iowans with covid right now is skyrocketing. every county in our state has either high or substantial transmission of the virus. so that means it's spreading right now through the schools. recent data shows nearly a quarter of all recent covid cases in our state were in children under the age of 1. and school-age kids aren't required to wear masks in class here that's due to a legislative ban on mask mandates in schools.

so as you can imagine, that has a lot of parents, teachers, and districts divided. i'm with a student named bella mcdonald she's 14 she's an eighth grader here. we're in a suburb of des moines. what's your question >> iowa governor ken reynolds has questioned the effectiveness of masks after signing a law that banned mask mandates earlier this year. what would you say to people who are skeptical about the benefits of masks >> bella, thank you for that question we have seen data after data that have demonstrated that schools that are not masking are closing because they're having outbreaks. schools from georgia we saw last year had 37% less closure, less outbreaks, where they use masks. data from l.a. demonstrating 3 1/2 times the rate of covid in kids if they're not masking. so i would say the data absolutely show what masking decreases outbreaks in schools >> jodi, bella, great job. thank you so much.

let's go to dallas, texas. wayne carter is the education reporter at kxas, nbc -- 5 he's inside a magnet elementary school hey, wayne, good morning >> good morning, hoda. there are more than 100 different school districts here in the dallas/ft. worth area each one has their own rules and their own protocols. in richardson, they originally listened to our governor who ordered no masks in classrooms but then some neighboring districts decided to sue so they could be able to use them. richardson has then kind of sided with those schools in the courts and required them, but it may be too late as one school already had to shut down because of a rise in covid cases and principals tell me others may be in a similar boat as this all kind of plays out here we are joined this morning by emma vera. she's in fourth grade here at the school and she has an

important question she wants to ask this morning >> so my question is, when are kids my age going to get vaccinated because we want to be safe >> good question >> that was my first question, too, emma. how about it, dr. walensky great minds think alike. we are working with urgency to make sure that vaccine is going to be safe, effective and follow the science .we are hopeful that you will have that vaccine by the end of year. >> do you think it will be a two shot or a three shot >> we're still looking at two shots or three shots for adults, so i am thinking two, but we'll see where the science takes us >> thank you both. >> thanks, wayne carter, worked with him a long time ago and let's go to brad franco from north charleston. he's outside an elementary school that's gone all virtual already because of covid outbreaks. hi, brad

>> good morning, savannah. the playground behind me here normally packed with kids this time of day. but it is one of eight schools within the charleston county school district forced into virtual learning at some point this year. there have been more than 1,400 cases of covid-19 involving students and teachers. at this point, again, this is one of eight now, there is anxiety, obviously, with parents thinking that maybe their school could be the next one to go virtual i get it i have two kids in the district and two more will be kindergartners next year there is a mask mandate in the charleston county school district, but they can't enforce it because state law prevents state money being used for that. for 18-year-old egypt stokes, right next door, they are still face-to-face and she has a question the senior has a question for dr. cardona. >> good morning. how will the school system

provide instructions to students in both virtual, dual and in person without overworking and burning out our teachers and how will that impact seniors like me who are applying to college? >> egypt, thank you for the question i hope you have a wonderful senior year. what an important year and you're absolutely right. we found last year that the conditions for educating students in a virtual or hybrid weren't ideal. and we have the tools to make sure we can get students in the classroom safely and without interruption and i'm disappointed to hear that there's disruptions already in your community. these are preventable if we follow the mitigation strategies i'm glad you brought up the tax we're putting on teachers who have to do double duty we should be able to provide an alternative for students who are quarantined using different staff. the american rescue plan provided the funds we have to make sure that we're doing that because all students deserve an opportunity to learn in the classroom and have uninterrupted attention from their teachers >> thank you so much thank you for all of our affiliates in the station for

helping out. i want to ask you real quick, we all had to show our vaccines when we were kids. i had to show the flu shot for my little kid to go to school. why is that not available? >> to show the vaccine cards >> yeah. if you want to come to school, you have to have a vaccine >> i have my card in my pocket i was coming to new york i knew i had to have it with me. i think that's the culture that we're going to create. but i'm pleased with what you're seeing around the country where if you're not sharing you're vaccinated, you have to follow testing protocols regularly to make sure we're keeping covid out of our schools eventually, i think we're going to get to a point where it's going to be normal for folks to communicate that they're vaccinated this is taking time. we need to keep our students at the center, not politics just let's get vaccinated, let's let our kids go to school and learn in the classroom >> i think we can all agree on getting the kids back to the classroom. dr. cardona, dr. walensky, don't

go anywhere. they'll be back in the next hour to keep this conversation going. >> and we want to thank all the teachers and educators and parents who are here i know you all are going to stick around you made a big trip here to see us meantime, let's look at a special partnership in los angeles between police and young athletes this morning, the nfl's l.a. rams are helping pull off a big surprise for the kids. 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.

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so hurry up (screams) they're not gonna stay this way forever. kick off your kidifornia vacation at visitcalifornia.com legislation between police and young athletes but first, this is "today" on nbc. we're back with a news series coming to nbc over the next few months. the 2022 winter olympics and super bowl lvi >> we are going to be busy we are parter inning with nbc sports to highlight amazing stories throughout the country >> we're kicking it off with a group of coaches from the l.a.

rams working with a group of kids to draw them out of difficult backgrounds and inspire them through football. jacob has that story for us. >> reporter: good morning, carson this is extraordinary. back in 2011, they started on a 12x12 patch of dirt. the lapd was pulling kids from rival gang territories on to the football field all in this effort to ease neighborhood tensions, improve community policing ten years later with the help of the l.a. rams, these players are now not only part of an nfl campaign focussing on inclusivity, their dreams are coming true. >> today, nothing else matters >> as the football season begins, the stars of the nfl's kickoff campaign didn't emerge from bright lights or a big stadium. it's a team of kids in los angeles started by the lapd as a way to engage the community. >> you want to change, start with the youth educate the youth. my name is aaron thompson. i'm a los angeles police officer.

and i'm also a head coach of the watts rams >> coach z has been policing in watts for over 25 years. an area of just 8.2 square miles. has the highest concentration of gangs in all of la >> kids are forced to make hard decisions at 9, 10, 11 >> he offered a different option for kids >> this program is about discipline, period >> it started with just 30 players, but now over 100 children ages 8 to 14 spend four days a week playing football with the lapd. >> it's about academics. football is not first. >> 13-year-old evan and his 11-year-old brother noah say the team has helped raise them >> he's a father figure, a male role mod toll me my teammates are my brothers and sisters. >> started in 2011, the team was slowly growing, earning the trust of the community then in 2017, the l.a. rams got involved, providing uniforms, player mentoring, a state of the art field, and once in a

lifetime opportunities molly higgins is the los angeles rams vice president community of affairs. >> so they invited me to watch and do a ride along with some of the officers back in 2017. and just fell in love with their vision and what they're trying to do. >> the commitment and cricks from the l.a. rams have struck a deep chord for a man who's dedicated his life to service. >> something that i prayed for, man, from day one. just a big name -- i'm sorry about that, man. just somebody believing in these babies, you know just helping out it's great >> they're believing in you, too. >> yes >> the impact is easy to see before joining the rams in 2019,

evan was getting ds and fs in school now he's a straight a student with a full scholarship. >> i've gotten so many opportunities from going to a school that costs $38,000 a year to being in an nfl kickoff commercial with aaron donald i mean, it's been amazing. >> we were there as the team got their first peek at that commercial sporting new uniforms from the l.a. rams and they got an extra surprise >> because of the hard work that you all at the watts rams have put into this community, on november 7th, the nfl is going to send each and every one of you to sofi to see the rams play the titans give it up for yourselves. >> i've never seen somebody smile as big as when i met you a couple of days ago this is twice i've seen that

smile. >> it's like, i'm speechless if you stand and think about it, like i'm the face of an nfl kickoff commercial i mean, that's really big. it's really big. >> it's big for all of the because they have each others' backs. >> who got my back >> we got your back. >> that's right. >> it was so cool to spend time with those kids. boys and girls and get this, you guys not only will the watts rams get to go see the l.a. rams, but based on their academics, their leadership, the volunteer work, the nfl is going to give many of these kids an opportunity to earn their way to super bowl lvi which is going to air right here on nbc >> and be right there in sofi, as well. >> and if the watts rams play because -- the watts rams are going to have a good season. >> that's a great commercial, too, by the way, jacob >> it's beautiful. those kids are great kids. >> they are.

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>> hello >> oh, we're back. we're back on tv >> good morning. >> we've expanded. come on in here. we love this town hall never cover the roker. >> sorry >> we've been trying to answer a time of questions that so many of us have, parents, teachers and students and we're just getting started. >> back in just a few moments. dr. rochelle walensky and educattion secretary miguel cardona, they're going to stick around for the third hour to answer more questions. >> and jenna and i have more with teachers. also we have candice bushnell. but why is the camera on us? we have these beautiful people in our audience. come on, let's show them all of that after your local news news

good morning. it is 8:56. i am kris sanchez. president biden this morning is boarding air force one, he will land in southern california to campaign for governor newsom with the clock ticking down to tomorrow's recall election.

voters will be asked to choose among a list of 46 replacements. the man here leading the list, conservative broadcaster larry elder who is spending the day campaigning in southern california. happening now, bob redell is following developments in the campaign push. he will have a live report in the midday news. head to our home page for more information. also on the home page, firefighters are making progress on a new wildfire. the hopkins fire is now 20% contained, up 10% from yesterday.

live from studio 1 sddz a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning. we have an hour packed with information, motivation, some fun, too. good morning to you. >> hey. how are you? >> i'm doing great. >> i feel like i haven't seen you in a while. >> i know. i like being outside. but we are kicking off the week with tiktok week. >> hoda can tiktok. >> nick digiovanni has more than 7 million followers.